The Geospatial Distribution of Educational Attainment: Cultural Capital and Uneven Development in Metropolitan Kansas City, 1960-1980

• In Event: Contested Spaces: Situated Histories of Desegregation

Abstract

This paper explores the historical development of metropolitan inequities in education, focusing on greater Kansas City. It addresses the question of spatial inequality in education and social status by examining adult education levels from one school district or area of the metropolitan area to another. We also assess geographic differences in student attainment, utilizing a range of socio-economic controls. Our analysis finds that spatial inequity in adult education levels preceded controversies over desegregation and "white flight" in greater Kansas City, and accounted for much of the local variation in student attainment levels.

Authors

• John L. Rury, The University of Kansas

• Sanae Akaba, The University of Kansas