Geospatial Analysis of Educational Opportunity in Ohio: Does School Choice Really Exist?

• In Event: Educational Privatization: Examining Contexts, Policies, and Partners

Abstract

We examine the relationship among neighborhood context and the strategic presence of charter schools and for-profit postsecondary institutions in three urban Ohio counties. Through geospatial and statistical analyses, we investigate the geographic or physical positioning of school options in three urban counties. These assessments were made using school enrollment data from NCES and IPEDS and racial, socioeconomic, and educational attainment demographics from the U.S. Census. Findings reveal the clustered and strategic locations of charter schools and the relationships they have with concentrations of African American, high poverty neighborhoods and white suburban areas.

Authors

• Elizabeth Anne Gilblom, Cleveland State University

• Hilla Sang, Kent State University