Social capital is broadly beneficial, but parents reap particular benefits from network ties. Schools are key organizations through which parents develop ties. In this article, we examine school-based networks that provide valuable resources. What factors are associated with greater access to key resources such as child care, parenting advice, and educational information? Using network data from mothers of eighth graders, we employ qualitative comparative analysis to examine mothers’ status and network characteristics associated with two types of resource access—basic access, where resources are accessed through a single parent, and robust access, where resources are accessed through multiple parents. We find that particular combinations of status and network characteristics are critical. A wide range of mothers attain basic access, but race and socioeconomic status constrain robust access. These findings raise important questions about relational patterns and resource access for parents within a racially and socioeconomically diverse school.

社会资本是广泛有益的，但父母从网络关系中获得特别的好处。学校是家长建立联系的关键组织。在本文中，我们研究了提供宝贵资源的基于学校的网络。哪些因素与更容易获得关键资源（例如儿童保育、育儿建议和教育信息）相关？我们使用八年级学生母亲的网络数据，采用定性比较分析来检查与两种类型的资源访问相关的母亲状态和网络特征——基本访问，其中资源通过单亲访问，以及稳健访问，其中资源通过多个父级访问。我们发现状态和网络特征的特定组合至关重要。范围广泛的母亲获得了基本的服务，但种族和社会经济地位限制了可靠的服务。这些发现提出了关于种族和社会经济多元化学校中家长的关系模式和资源获取的重要问题。