A Community Development Corporation and the cultivation of educational opportunity

Author / Creator

Bourgeois, Alexis Kaiulani, author

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Online

Physical

Summary

In the last decade the number of families struggling to afford housing has grown rapidly throughout the United States. Despite the widespread urgency of this issue, there is an absence of scholarsh...

In the last decade the number of families struggling to afford housing has grown rapidly throughout the United States. Despite the widespread urgency of this issue, there is an absence of scholarship in educational research about how affordable housing policy and programs affect students' educational opportunity. This lack of research focused on the intersection of housing policy and education is not surprising. Housing policy is complex -- made up of multiple programs and policies that are delivered and governed by federal and local governments but also including both public and private stakeholders. These stakeholders are often comprised of non-profit organizations (Community Development Corporations), developers, lenders, housing authorities, schools and school districts. In this study, I propose that Community Development Corporations (CDCs) are under-researched organizations that may offer important insights into the relationship between housing and educational opportunity. As such, the core empirical question of this research is: How and to what extent do CDCs cultivate educational opportunity in low-income contexts? To address this research question, Small's organizational embeddedness perspective provided a theoretical guide for my data collection and analysis. Additionally, I engaged in a case study approach. Data collection included interviews with key stakeholders, document analysis and observations. Ultimately, this study seeks to inform researchers, educational and community leaders, and policymakers about the ways in which low-income families embedded in CDCs access and mobilize educational opportunity.

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