Application of Geographic Information Systems in Educational Practices: Spatial Analysis for Instructional Strategies and Policy Decisions

• In Event: The Spatial Search to Understand and Address Educational Inequity to Inform Praxis

Abstract

Objectives/Purpose
An abundant number of studies show individual characteristics impacting educational outcomes (De Graaf, De Graaf, & Kraaykamp 2000; Duncan & Brooks-Gunn 1997; Gamoran 2004). However, the external factors (e.g., neighborhood compositions, conditions, access to resources) have not received enough attention until recently. More importantly, such consideration is slow to be reflected in policy measures. For example, while the level of geographic segregation by economic status persistently lingers for decades in US (Jargowsky 1996; 1997), the impact of such conditions on education has been seldom explored (Mayer 2002). If spatial separation among residents in an urban area is an indicator of socioeconomic inequality, then narrowing the achievement gap is precisely where the link between inequality of condition and inequality of opportunity can be severed. Under the context of spatial disparity and achievement gap, this paper will pose two research questions: (1. What is the relationship between the demographic and socioeconomic condition of neighborhoods and school-level academic achievement? (2. Are there strategies in which placement/location of schools can alleviate social or economic inequities of a community?

Theoretical Frameworks
The ecological tradition has demonstrated that neighborhood conditions significantly impact various areas of urban dynamics from violence to residential patterns. This paper argues that the significance of ecology conceived by Chicago School of Sociology can be advanced to consider spatial dynamics discussed by such contemporary urban geographers as Frederic Jameson and Edward Soja, where not only do socioeconomic conditions of areas matter but individuals’ understanding, perception, and cognitive understanding of boundaries also impact social phenomena.

Methods & Data Sources
In a number of districts, the most commonly available measure of poverty, a student’s status of free or reduced lunch, is often inadequate to estimate the true impact since a large proportion of students in urban districts are eligible. Methodologically, this paper will apply Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) for statistical analysis and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to determine the impact of socioeconomic conditions of neighborhoods that influence school performance. Such analysis will allow for a distinction between the inequality of condition based on economic status of neighborhoods and test for subsequent inequality of opportunity through locations of schools based on performance.

This study used publicly available data on Chicago Public Schools (City of Chicago Data Portal) as well information from the American Community Survey 2007-2011 (Census Tract Level). We examined the HLM results as well as produced descriptive single-variables and bivariate relational maps.

Result/Conclusions/Significance
If public education is to live up to its claim of being an equalizer in societal mobility, then a faster rate of growth among the disadvantaged is prerequisite to narrowing achievement gaps. The findings suggest that strategic decisions in schools (e.g., opening, closing, turnaround, varying levels of investment) ought not be simply based on supply and demand of enrollment but must also consider empirical analyses that factor in greater scope of societal issues such as addressing inequities and targeting needs. In doing so, constant evaluation of appropriate analysis and tools according to advancement of technology must be considered.

Author

• Kiljoong Kenneth Kim, Chapin Hall at the University of Chciago