Next Education Workforce

Dr. Mahnaz Charania, Clayton Christensen Institute, on social capital in the lives of students

Episode Summary

Brent Maddin talks with Dr. Mahnaz Charania, Senior Research Fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute, about the Next Educator Workforce and new insights into the role of social capital and personal connections in the lives of students.

Episode Notes

Brent Maddin talks with Dr. Mahnaz Charania, Senior Research Fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute, in advance of Building the Next Normal, the January 2021 convening hosted by ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, where Mahnaz will be a featured expert.

Comments? Feedback? Ideas? Drop us a line at edworkforce@asu.edu. 

Follow MLFTC on Twitter at @asueducation and follow Mahnaz at @mahnazcharania. Share this episode with #NextEducationWorkforce.

• 0:58: Mahnaz defines social capital, makes the connection between social capital and equity, and describes the framework she has developed to measure social capital
• 2:55: “You can’t be who you don’t know:” Mahnaz explains what it looks like to build students’ social capital and provides specific examples of schools, networks, and organizations (e.g., Big Picture Learning, Future Focused Education) that design and measure students’ social capital
• 7:04: Mahnaz proposes shifts in policy that might be conducive to helping students build social capital  
• 8:57: Mahnaz talks about bringing “outside” resources into schools and shares examples of how other districts (e.g., Cajon Valley Union School District) are doing this effectively
• 10:46: Mahnaz describes the intersection between teams of educators; community stakeholders; and diversity, equity and inclusion.
• 12:11: Mahnaz shares her thoughts on professional learning for educators, educational leaders and community members.
• 14:12: Mahnaz reacts to the idea that the pandemic may have accelerated innovation in education and shares her concern that we might be “innovating in the dark.”
• 16:10: Mahnaz recommends readings educators might consider before they join her at Building the Next Normal, the January 2021 convening hosted by ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.