Brings relational sociology to bear on educational research.Relational sociology was conceived by theorists frustrated by what they viewed as an incomplete accounting of social reality. Torn between notions of structural rigidity on the one hand and rational choice individualism on the other relational sociologists have sought new units of analysis. Social reality they have argued is manufactured through relationships. People are who they are and society is what it is not because of some individual or collective essence but because of the networks that social beings build among one another.Relational Sociology and Research on Schools Colleges and Universities demonstrates the value of introducing new relational methods and epistemologies in educational research. The contributors examine the roles and significance of ongoing transactions among connected social actorsstudents peers families teachersin a variety of institutional contexts. The book explores various uses and applications of relational sociology in education while highlighting its promise to provide fresh insight into intractable problems of inequity in US schools.