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cultural capital

Learn more about cultural capital

Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools
These articles provide background on Latino immigrants in North Carolina, administrative challenges in binational education, and strategies through which teachers can build on what Latino students bring to their classrooms to create a learning environment that meets the needs of all students.
Format: series (multiple pages)
Raleigh: A Capital City
An itinerary for a tour of the capital of the Old North State. The site provides information and photographs for Raleigh's historic districts, architecture, parks and recreational areas, and more.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Capital Area Visitor Information
Find information for scheduling a free comprehensive tour of many of Raleigh's cultural attractions and a description of the sites you can visit, including the State Capitol, the State Legislative Building, the Executive Mansion, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the North Carolina Museum of History, and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
The middle school challenge for English language learners of Mexican origin
In Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools, page 3.2
English language learners of Mexican origin face numerous challenges in American middle schools, including cultural segregation and assumptions made by schools regarding the students' educational backgrounds. This article offers strategies for educators to help students overcome those challenges.
Format: article
By Mary Faith Mount-Cors.
Deficit thinking
In Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools, page 4.2
Teachers frequently attribute the academic struggles of English language learners to the students' inability or unwillingness to learn English, but this "deficit thinking" can better be replaced by a focus on what immigrant students bring to the classroom.
By Buck Cooper.

Find all 36 resources in our collection.

Cultural assets (beyond the economic) such as family background and commitment to education that contribute to an individual’s or group’s position in society and achievement in education.

Additional information

As an analytic concept, cultural capital questions what constitutes valued knowledge in contemporary society, suggesting that powerful groups determine what counts. Following this concept, some students (for example, those advantaged by higher social status) are more able to acquire knowledge because of cultural advantages they bring to education based on class, race, or gender.

Examples and resources

“Culture in the Cupboard” is a lesson plan offered by National Geographic’s Expeditions series that allows middle grades students to consider the cultural influence of household items on students’ cultural heritage.