Valerie Fetzer, Waleed Khan

EDLPS 540 A: Sociology of Education

Professor Duncheon
May 6, 2022
Analytical Essay
Introduction

The Boston Latin School is the nation’s oldest school, founded in 1635, and serves students

from grades 7 through 12. Located in Boston, Massachusetts it is a public exam school where

students are admitted based on their test scores and grade point average. They pride themselves on

having a diverse student population, 20% of which come from low income backgrounds, that are

offered a challenging honors curriculum, small learning communities, student support services,

extracurricular activities, and more.

One of the services that the Boston Latin School provides is a series of educational

workshops led by the Deitch Leadership Institute (DLI). This series focuses on professional

development through introducing topics such as networking tips, LinkedIn personas, financial

literacy, and strengths based leadership. According to the DLI, their hope is that this creates career

connections at an earlier age and familiarizes students with professional navigation. However, from a

cultural capital theory perspective, developed by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, we understand

the purpose of these workshops is to teach students what behaviors and backgrounds are rewarded by

those who hold power, most often from the dominant group, in professional spaces. Furthermore, we

must acknowledge that Bourdieu defined what cultural capital is from a perspective that places

traditional western values higher than other cultural values. We argue that while the DLI is certainly

opening opportunities up for an array of students, they are also reaffirming the idea that cultural

capital is rooted in a white, heteronormative perspective which can inadvertntly widen the gap

between Dr. Anthony Abrham Jack’s idea of the privileged poor and the doubly disadvantaged.

Abraham Jack describes the two groups as both having low income backgrounds, however the
privileged poor are students who have been already exposed to institutions that represent the values

of the dominant group. Thus, they are able to better navigate future institutional spaces with more

cultural capital than students from low income backgrounds who do not have the same context, hence

doubly disadvantaged. In what follows, we define what the key concepts are of Bourdieu’s theory of

cultural capital to analyze the workshops. Then, given our understanding of the impact of the DLI

workshops, we consider how they might further or disrupt social reproduction, both on a micro and

macro level. Lastly, we provide some policy recommendations and practical implications for actors

who may want to replicate these services while continuing to drive educational equity.

Defining key concepts of Bourdieu’s theory

Bourdieu defines cultural capital as behaviors and practices, social assets, that contribute to

upward social mobility in a society that is highly stratified. However, these behaviors and practices

are a product of our surroundings and can vary by systemic issues that affect social class and race. In

Lareau’s study of two different childhood upbringings defined by socioeconomic status, they use

Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory to analyze how it will later affect them in navigating formal

spaces. When discussing how this affects students, different child rearing techniques taken on by

parents or guardians can shape the amount of cultural capital that can either help, or hinder, students

as they navigate different institutional arrangements, known as fields. In this context, there are two

techniques that Lareau mentions: concerted cultivation and natural growth. Concerted cultivation is

described as the intentional opportunities that parents or guardians seek out in an effort to expose

their children to a well rounded upbringing. This can look like enrolling a child in a variety of

extracurriculars, as well as encouraging open dialogue and negotiation at home so that it promotes a

sense of advocacy at a young age. That said, we acknowledge that a parent or guardian’s ability to

engage in concerted cultivation is inherently connected to their access to resources, which is

commonly defined by their jobs, social class, and oftentimes race. Natural growth on the other hand
is an upbringing that is defined by extensive bouts of leisure time, thus increasing the autonomy of

the child, accompanied with longer periods of silence at home, which can affect the comfortability in

advocating for oneself. A natural growth approach tends to be present in families with lower

amounts of cultural capital and less financial resources. That said, this approach is not often aligned

with the goals of such institutional arrangements like school and professional environments. By

having the ability to take on either a concerted cultivation or natural growth approach in child

rearing, the child develops what is comfortable to them, thus their habitus.

Impact of DLI workshops

When analyzing the DLI workshops through this perspective, we can see how it reaffirms the

ideals of western cultural capital in defining success as one’s career pursuits. By leading topics that

cover networking, LinkedIn personas, financial literacy development, and building blocks for skills

development, it is clear that DLI aims to support students earlier on in their life to ensure they are not

only ready for the workforce, but also economic stability. Along with personal and professional

growth, it is essential to acknowledge that the structure of DLI both furthers and disrupts social

reproduction. For example, DLI furthers social reproduction by reaffirming what ranks highest

cultural capital. Within this concept, we see that one’s habitus is transformed by the type of capital

one has access to; in this case, it is important to understand that there are transmission of differential

advantages such as economic capital, social capital, and cultural capital. DLI also furthers social

reproduction as it takes a concerted cultivation approach. By emphasizing networking skills, we ask

ourselves what is the nature of networking in professional landscapes? It often favors those who are

charismatic and know how to advocate for themselves. Therefore, students who have been exposed

to a concerted cultivation approach, either at home or through other institutions, will have more

confidence, and initiation, to engage in these workshops than the doubly disadvantaged.
 Additionally, along with furthering social reproduction, DLI also disrupts social

reproduction. For example, by bringing students from underrepresented and lower socioeconomic

backgrounds into healthy environments, students are given tools that can create a strong foundation

to advance both personally and professionally. It is important to acknowledge that every student has

a different upbringing structure, thus, concepts such as financial literacy might not be present within

the household. Through the disruption of social reproduction, DLI is breaking systemic barriers and

is supporting students to seek upward mobility and further adapt to a more sustainable class.

Moreover, with the knowledge of life-long skills, DLI is increasing capital awareness. As noted by

Lehmann (2013), “Knowledge comes with power” (p.8). Through this we note that there is a shift in

power structures; as more and more students are given knowledge about various aspects of the world,

the more they are intrigued to create their own agency as “[They] have a lot of power to change”

(Lehmann, p.8). Within this habitus transformation, students may be led to new values, adapt to

cultural norms of other classes, and may lose past relationships. Along with impact on social

reproduction, DLI workshops impact the privileged poor and the double disadvantaged at the micro

and macro levels.

Impact of micro and macro levels

Populations such as the privileged poor and doubly disadvantaged are impacted by the micro

and macro levels because there is a strong emphasis on who has access and who doesn’t. In this

section, we define micro level as a smaller unit composed of intimate interactions and macro level

defined as a large scale unit composed of more broader interactions at a societal level. The doubly

disadvantaged is impacted by the micro level as there is a significant connection to professionalism.

For example, the Abraham Jack piece discusses that the doubly disadvantaged had challenges with

faculty relations. Through the micro level, this might heighten anxieties for those that didn’t learn

how to navigate such organizations and further weren’t exposed to concerted cultivation. On a micro
level, this affects the relationships they are able to build with faculty and future employers; it also

affects how they network because they might not know how to advocate as well for themselves. The

privileged poor are impacted by the micro level because although this population has a smoother

pathway of communication and networking with faculty, there is the concern of day to day societal

and cultural norms. The privileged poor and doubly disadvantaged are both impacted by the macro

level as it widens the gap between the two. Due to continuous moving pieces in the system of higher

education and increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion work, there is continuous

restructuring in social capital and stability. In order to support students more effectively, the

following section conveys key strategies for establishing a stronger foundation for student

development and success.

Recommendations

In order to create a more holistic support system for students coming from the privileged

poor and doubly disadvantaged backgrounds, the following conveys a combination of personnel and

day-to-day action items. One personnel recommendation is meeting students where they are; through

this concept, higher education practitioners can ask open ended questions to not let assumptions in on

where they place professionalism. Along with creating healthy dialogues with students, another

recommendation is being aware of positionality. With students coming from a range of lived

experiences, it is important for higher education practitioners to be mindful and accountable of

implicit and explicit biases. As higher education practitioners engage with students, it is crucial to

emphasize that networking isn’t solely centered around charisma and buttering faculty and future

employers. It is important to emphasize a balance between charisma and advocacy skills.

Additionally, with a robust structure of workshops and programming, it is highly important to

incorporate mental health awareness within workshops as many of these students are young and

haven’t figured out every piece of their careers. Thus, another key recommendation is to implement
identity based mentorship by increasing demographic representation of higher education

practitioners. Lastly, building recreational programming is important to enhance a sense of

community and provide inner circles of empowerment between students.

Conclusion

Within our changing and restructuring world, it is safe to say that no one is perfect, but as

human beings, we can build more equitable and healthy spaces. With this concept, it is pivotal to

have a mutual understanding that students from privileged poor and doubly disadvantaged have

different lived experiences. Thus, it is important to be open-minded, treat others with respect, and be

mindful of how you present tips during such workshops so that you are not reaffirming imposed

dominant views of cultural capital.

References

Jack, Abraham Anthony. (2016, May 18) (No) Harm in Asking: Class, Acquired Cultural Capital, and

Academic Engagement at an Elite University. American Sociological Association. Sociology of

Education

Lareau, Annette. Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. University of California Press,

2014. Sociology of Education

Lehmann, Wolfgang. (2016, August 10). Habitus Transformation and Hidden Injuries: Successful

Working-class University Students. American Sociological Association. Sociology of Education