Chapter 2: Legal Information as a Source of Social Capital: The Need for Broad and Sustained Engagement in School Policy Affairs

Public awareness of law and policy is greater than ever before. Presumably, much of the growing interest may be explained by expansion and development in deliverable and accessible information through various media forms. With respect to schooling, media such as the television and the Internet have not only accelerated traditional functions such as grade delivery and parent–teacher communication, but this has also resulted in greater transparency in how schools govern and operate. On the other hand, less is known about to what degree parents and students critique policy and legal information pertaining to schooling. While socioeconomic factors may predict levels of student/community engagement and action, little research has looked into this engagement in legal affairs. All the while, studies suggest differences in the manner in which students are educationally served or legally treated, most notably by race and class.