Advantaged Families' Opportunity Hoarding in U.S. K–12 Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

This article systematically reviews empirical research employing the concept of opportunity hoarding—originally developed by sociologist Charles Tilly—to analyze how racially and economically advantaged families in the United States secure and maintain scarce educational resources in K–12 public schooling. The review identifies three primary domains of opportunity hoarding: (1) the creation and maintenance of predominantly white educational spaces through geographic boundaries, school district policies, and funding mechanisms; (2) school choice and selection processes, where advantaged parents leverage policy design, social networks, and resources to access selective schools and programs; and (3) organizational routines within schools, including advocacy for academic tracking and fundraising activities that disproportionately benefit advantaged families. The authors highlight methodological diversity in the literature but note gaps such as limited mixed-methods studies, insufficient engagement with Tilly’s broader durable inequality framework, and a need for deeper analysis of intersecting race, class, and gender dynamics. They emphasize opportunity hoarding as a relational and multilevel process that contributes to persistent educational inequities and suggest future research should explore mechanisms of resistance, the role of whiteness, and policy interventions aimed at disrupting these patterns.