Mapping Socioeconomic Sorting Across Unified K–12 School Districts: The Geography of the Professional-Managerial Class

• In Event: Who's Included and Excluded? Student Assignment Policies and Engagement Practices in Gentrifying and Segregated Systems

Abstract

American K-12 education segregates advantaged students to a higher degree than other wealthy developed nations (Schleicher, 2019). Since public-school district quality varies, choosing a good district is crucial for professional-managerial class families who want the best education for their children, driving housing competition in desirable school districts. This study maps the geography of the professional-managerial class across K-12 school districts to understand their class composition. Maps use publicly-available data on educational attainment, earnings, and homeownership by unified school districts. Districts dominated by the professional-managerial class generally cluster in and around urbanized areas, particularly across the Northeast, the Eastern seaboard, and the Midwest. The concentration of the professional-managerial class in desirable school districts excludes working-class students from networks needed for social mobility.

Author

• Samantha Traves, McGill University
  Presenting Author