PHASE 3
Execute & Evaluate
Once the foundation is laid and the supports designed, the student-facing work can start. While every organization’s Pathways Integration Strategy, informed by context and assets (human, financial, or otherwise), will be unique, the Social Capital Scope & Sequence should provide a common sequence to help students articulate the value of their social capital, better understand who they currently have in their network, build the skill sets and confidence to make new connections, and practice this learning within safe spaces. Organizations begin working their scope in Phase 3, with students introduced to social capital concepts, guided in mapping their current relationships and building social capital toolkits, put into the driver seat as they expand and mobilize their professional networks. The Social Capital Lesson Plans and Social Capital Individual Student Plan provide additional guidance and support.
Phase 3 is also about assessing results and adjusting. To ensure continuous improvement, organizations should evaluate and update approaches along the way to track progress toward their vision of success for all students.
Introduce Social Capital Concepts
The term “social capital” can mean a variety of things to students. It might be a brand new concept or one that holds negative connotations. An important first step in this work is to level-set across students, defining the term and unpacking why it matters for them, particularly as they plan for college and career. This introduction could take a variety of forms, ranging from highly structured to more informal and some organizations may choose to use terminology that better aligns with their communication style (e.g., community, team, etc).
All students should be able to:
- Define social capital & relevant terms, such as network, strong ties and weak ties
- Compare and contrast weak and strong ties and the value each provides
- Differentiate between types of social support & categorize real examples from their lives
Prioritize language that better resonates with students
Boston, Massachusetts
The term “social capital” can seem jargony or may connote, for some people, a transactional, or inauthentic relationship. The Boston team recognized the value in engaging students in the ideas of social capital but questioned the utility of sticking to the terminology. For example, in their pilot, Apprentice Learning chose to frame initial social capital conversations by asking students about their “team.” Who are the people that are rooting for them? The ones that are on their bench? Who do they currently have on their team and who do they need? This language better resonated with the students and was more consistent with the programming being delivered by the Apprentice Learning staff.
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Map Current Connections
Relationship mapping is a powerful tool for helping students visualize the people currently in their network and where the opportunities for strengthening and growing their connections lie. While the goal should always be an asset-based discussion of student networks and how to leverage them, teams can employ different approaches depending on the needs of their student population. For example, students who are having trouble getting started or struggling to grasp the concept of social capital might find it helpful to phase out their mapping and start with family or school first to build their confidence and understanding.
All students should be able to:
- Map the people who make up their current network and their different contexts (school, extracurriculars, family)
- Describe the different types of social support the people in their network provide
- Distinguish between the weak and strong ties in their lives and specify the types of resources each provides to them
- Develop a goal for strengthening and/or growing their network
Revisit relationship maps regularly to help students more deeply understand their networks
Pinellas County, Florida
In Boca Ciega High School in Pinellas County, FL, students were frequently encouraged to go back to their original relationship maps and continue to add contacts they might have either forgotten to list in the first place or had recently met. This kept networks at the top of students’ minds and many began to add the guest speakers in their classroom as weak tie connections. At Lealman Innovation Academy, students did the exercise at least twice to deepen their understanding of who was in their network. After the original mapping exercise revealed to the teacher that students did not have a clear understanding of who should be included, she decided to do the exercise again – giving students more practice in thinking about the connections they have in their lives.
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Equip Students with Social Capital Tools and Skill Sets
Organizations can help students take full advantage of opportunities to build new connections by equipping them with the tools and skill sets to increase their confidence, agency, and ability to communicate about themselves. This tool development can take many forms – elevator pitches, strength and interests assessments, resume building workshops – and serve as opportunities for students to gain the confidence, know-how, and practice in talking about their goals, strengths, and experiences before they are asked to do this on their own.
All students should be able to:
- Describe their achievements, skills, and career goals
- Identify the tools, knowledge, and skills they need to best connect with the people in their network
- Begin to seek help from adults in their school and community
- Articulate their value to relationships with people in their network
Incorporate student skill-building to prepare them for real-world experiences
San Antonio, Texas
The San Antonio team provided several workshops meant to scaffold student learning to prepare them, one step at a time, for their participation in summer internship opportunities and employment after high school. Most workshops helped students develop the tangible tools (e.g., resumes, LinkedIn profiles) they needed to apply for the internships but also increased their confidence and preparedness for interviews. In a focus group conducted by the team, students shared that this was their first opportunity to develop a resume, create a LinkedIn profile, or network with employers. They expressed that these types of skill-building opportunities were missing from their education, where the emphasis on academics seemed disconnected from the skill sets students felt they needed for the “real world.”
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Empower Students to Build Networks
Once students feel confident and are equipped with social capital-building tools and skill sets, organizations can provide them with safe opportunities to practice, whether in smaller, more intimate settings like classrooms or in larger networking events. This is where industry and community partners can provide invaluable support as hosts and/or participants. Equip students with follow-up strategies that will allow them to stay connected to the new additions to their network and possibly leverage these relationships down the line.
All students should be able to:
- Define networking & discuss how and why connections can be helpful
- Articulate how connections to school adults support educational endeavors
- Engage with adults to gain insight into field of interest
Bring in alumni to tell their social capital stories
Montgomery County, Maryland
The Montgomery County social capital project team found different ways to incorporate the “success stories” of near-peers who have recently earned bachelor’s degrees and achieved career success into the social capital pilot. In the introductory social capital asynchronous module they developed for the student orientation, the team featured a video of a recent ACES (Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success) graduate discussing their academic and career journey. The featured graduate shared the people in their network that helped through their transitions from community college to a four year university. In addition, the social capital project team hosted a summer bridge program, which included a series of professional panels and opportunities for students to network with several graduates of Montgomery County Public Schools and the ACES program who shared their career and postsecondary journeys. Hearing from people with similar backgrounds and experiences can be affirming to students. It reinforces that their aspirations are feasible, can generate ideas about who in their network they could leverage, and garner support and guidance.
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Assess Results and Adjust
Organizations should use their work from Plan for Measurement (Phase 2) to regularly monitor their progress. At midpoint check-ins, identify where your organization seems to be on track or where you seem to be falling behind (or falling behind for particular students). What’s contributing to this? How might you adjust your current strategy to get you back on track? Lean on your staff and partners to provide insight into early successes and challenges and generate solutions. Encouraging their feedback on a regular basis can help sustain buy-in and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
At the end of your review cycle (whether this is on an academic or fiscal calendar), dedicate time with your team and partners to assess your results and reflect on where you feel you made an impact, what could have gone better, and where you see opportunities for strengthening the work moving forward. Ground your updated strategy in your data and various sources of feedback, disseminating the best practices you identified and pivoting where you didn’t get the results you were looking for. Most importantly, celebrate your wins and congratulate yourselves on getting started, then look ahead at how to keep the momentum going.
