Equalizing Cultural Capital

There are some truths I question. One came up recently when a colleague told me, “You cannot raise the cultural capital of one group by reducing it from another.” In a broader context, you can’t rob Peter to pay Paul when it comes to equity in schools. I was advocating for a baseline standard materials for all students, knowing that some schools have more capable or active parent groups who want to provide extra computers, grants, or whatever for their local building. That is the choice and right of that community. Managing equity is the plight of school districts everywhere that property taxes fund education. No news.

In the flow for stability and equity, what did come as news was an email from a parent, sent to hundreds of teachers and community members around me. The sender was advocating that new school boundaries not be allowed as it would remove our school from the neighborhood that she “purposely purchased a home in” to attend the school. In all honesty and hopefully to the relief of many, the school is not going anywhere despite her confusion; nor are the houses purchased; nor the children currently there; all are staying put. What could occur, and I safely say this as a resident parent zoned for that same school, is that shifting boundaries could allow students from additional neighborhoods to join. I don’t understand why this is bad, but I have a feeling that if one was brave enough to explain it, they would be admitting some sort of classism, elitism, or maybe racism. While they may not need to raise their own cultural capital, there are still people willing to reduce the capital of others by petitioning to not allow them in. Fear of otherness seems alive and well. This makes me sad and I hope I’m wrong.