Journal Article

Why Does It Take a Village? The Mediation of Neighborhood Effects on Educational Achievement

Ainsworth, James W.

2002

Overview

The urban and educational literature has recently begun to focus on the increase of concentrated poverty in inner-city neighborhoods and the educational failure of youth often associated with living in these neighborhoods. The current study examines this issue by identifying which neighborhood characteristics influence educational achievement and what mechanisms mediate these associations. Using the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 linked to 1990 census information at the neighborhood level, the current study finds not only that neighborhood characteristics predict educational outcomes but also that the strength of the predictions often rivals that associated with more commonly cited family- and school-related factors. When considering how neighborhood characteristics influence educational outcomes, theorists have proposed several mediating processes, including collective socialization, social control, social capital, perception of opportunity, and institutional characteristics. The current study reveals that these mediators account for about 40% of the neighborhood effect on educational achievement, with collective socialization having the strongest influence. Also discussed are the theoretical and policy implications of this study and directions for future research.

• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press,University of North Carolina Press,Oxford University Press
• Subject: Academic Achievement / Antisocial behavior / Antisocial behaviour / Antisocial personality disorder / Aspiration / Censuses / Central Cities / Community / Community and school / Company business management / Cultural Capital / Disadvantaged Environment / Economic aspects / Education / Educational Attainment / Educational Opportunities / Educational Policy / Family School Relationship / Ghettos / Homework / Influence / Inner cities / Inner city / Level of education / Longitudinal studies / Management / Mathematical models / Mediation / Modeling / Multilevel models / National Education Longitudinal Study 1988 / Neighborhood characteristics / Neighborhood government / Neighborhood schools / Neighborhoods / Neighbourhood government / Neighbourhoods / Opportunities / Opportunity Structures / Outcomes of Education / Policy / Poor children / Poverty / Prevention / Private schools / Racial Composition / Rural and urban sociology / Secondary Education / Secondary School Students / Slums / Social aspects / Social capital / Social Control / Social Environment / Socialization / Socioeconomic Influences / Sociology / Sociopathic personality / Theorists / Unemployment / United States / Urban Education / Urban Policy / Urban Poverty / Urban sociology / Wacquant, Loic / Wilson, William Julius / Youth