Beyond exclusion: An Exploratory Geospatial Analysis of Adult Learners, Community Colleges, & Credentials

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session Two
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT033 (Thursday)

Abstract

Very few community colleges consistently graduate substantial proportions of adult learners. The outlier institutions that do—institutions termed Mobility Engines—are vital social resources for both adult learners. Yet like other valuable resources, they are unevenly distributed across the United States. Drawing on geospatial analysis and bivariate mapping, I examine the relationship between access to and need for Mobility Engines across states and within them. Moving from the state to the census tract level, I anticipate finding compounding geographic barriers to completion.

Author

• Catalina Vasquez, University of Texas at Austin