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Dominguez, Brittany: From The Classroom to The Kitchen: COVID-19, Social and Cultural Capital, and Schooling

Brittany Dominguez

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Title: From The Classroom to The Kitchen: COVID-19, Social and Cultural Capital, and Schooling

Name: Brittany Dominguez

Home Institute: Carleton College

Programs: RRISE program, Graduate School Exploration Fellowship (GSEF) – Big Ten Academic Alliance

Other contributors: Nichole Garcia and Melissa Wooten

Abstract: “Scholars (Carter, 2003; Duffar, Parcel, and McKune, 2008; Goddard, 2003; Harding, Morris and Hughes, 2015; Jæger, 2011; Klevan, Weinberg, and Mand Middleton, 2016; Macleod, 2009) have previously determined that students with white middle class backgrounds are equipped with the cultural know-how that is most valued in schools. Furthermore, it has been noted their social networks often provide both the material and intellectual resources needed to perform well in school. However, throughout this year, students have not spent time learning in school; rather, they have learned from their homes with the help of virtual programming and parental teaching. Since students are no longer in the physical classroom where the white middle class structure is reinforced, it is important to consider how social and cultural capital have continued to play a role in their education. This project aims to understand how social and cultural capital have played a role in COVID-19 related schooling closures and homeschooling. Through a series of semi structured interviews with six low-income families, I will conduct a narrative analysis to better understand how cultural and social capital have affected low-income families’ experiences with at home schooling.

Biography: Brittany Dominguez is a Sociology and Anthropology major at Carleton College and also minors in Educational Studies and Publics Policy. After spending four years interning for Breakthrough Houston as a teaching fellow and Summer Associate and reflecting on her own k-12 experience, she gained a deep love for students and a passion for education equity. As she enters her senior year of college, she hopes to secure a teaching position and later, aspires to complete a graduate degree for school leadership or education policy. It is her dream to work with students for the rest of her life and to someday become a superintendent of schools in her home state of Texas.