Capital and Opportunity

This book will contribute to the discussion of issues surrounding students who 'disengage' from public schools. The book describes a study that uses the theory of Pierre Bourdieu to investigate what types of economic, social, cultural, and symbolic capital influenced the individual academic achievement and personal life trajectories of two female high school students identified at-risk. The book discusses how the participants identified and used separate and distinct street and school 'selves' to maximize their capital in settings inside and outside the school, and how some school policies and practices placed the participants in a position of educational disadvantage.