Abstract:

The article relates to the concept of social capital in terms of social network analysis. Social capital is presented as a useful category in the analysis of the institutional environment of a school. The article is based on the qualitative research conducted in 2011 by the Educational Research Institute in Warsaw. The study was focused on the problem of cooperation of schools and institutions from their environment. The authors analyze what is the specific situation of school as an institution, what affects the level of school's social capital, how can it be developed, what are the obstacles of its development and what are the benefits that school can draw from it. The analysis covered two categories. First, the initial resource of social capital and mechanisms which allow schools to extend cooperation are investigated. Second, factors affecting the diversity of schools' social capital are identified.

Keywords:

Cooperation, institutional environment of schools, social capital.