ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the idea that educational entities are complex systems situated in networks of interactions and interdependence that require us to examine not only the quantity of relationships but the quality of the interactions within these systems. The concept driving the next generation of network literacy work is that this more relational approach to studying schools and systems, conceptualized broadly, is an intuitive one: that relationships matter in very central ways to the work of education. Despite the intuitive nature of this statement, it is a point that has almost been lost on policy makers at all levels of education. Although the study of the role of relationships and interactions in education and beyond is growing, there remains a need for basic mixed-methods empirical work in the field that explores the effect of overall network structures.
