Associations Between Neighborhood Characteristics and Elementary School Students' Academic and Executive Functioning Skills

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Four
  In Roundtable Session: Strategies for Opportunity: Examining How Race and Place Limit Access to Resources and Curricular Programs for All (Table 1)

Abstract

Research highlights clear links between neighborhoods and children’s development, but questions remain regarding which aspects of neighborhoods are most associated with educational outcomes and whether results generalize beyond limited geographic regions/samples. The current study examines how changes in neighborhoods over time are associated with academic skills and executive functioning using a nationally representative sample of children from K-5th grades (N≈13,550). Within-child results found more businesses and parks, higher opportunity school districts, and less violent crime positively predicted children’s academic skills, and less pollution and higher opportunity school districts predicted executive functioning. Between-child results found lower concentrated disadvantage, more businesses and parks, and higher opportunity school districts positively predicted academic skills and lower concentrated disadvantage predicted executive functioning.

Authors

• Portia Miller, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author

• Bryn Spielvogel
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rebekah Levine Coley, Boston College
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lorraine Reese Blatt, University of Pittsburgh
  Presenting Author

• Laura Betancur Cortés
  Non-Presenting Author

• Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author