Poster #105 - Weathering Change: Illustrating Extreme Weather Across U.S. School Districts Through Data Linking and Visualization

• In Event: Saturday Poster Luncheon

Abstract

Introduction: Increasingly common and severe extreme weather can disrupt access to school-based learning and services through mechanisms such as infrastructure damage or repurposing and student or teacher displacement (Bascetta, 2009; Bell et al., 2016). These disruptions can impact children’s learning (Gibbs et al., 2019), executive functioning (Osofsky & Osofsky, 2013), and well-being (Lai et al., 2014). Education leaders need access to integrated education, weather, and emergency data for disaster preparedness and response, program coordination, and resource allocation. Geospatial data are a key ingredient.

Research Questions: Our poster presents evidence for the following research questions:

1. Between 2010 and 2019, what proportion of districts were affected by extreme weather events (storms, floods, fires, tornadoes) each year?


2. How were these events distributed across the U.S. in terms of frequency and type of event?

Addressing these research questions represents a foundational step toward developing a proactive tool that enables district and state policymakers to anticipate and effectively respond to disruptions from extreme weather.

Methods: We linked 10 years of data (2010-19) to spatially analyze and map the share of a district’s population in counties affected by extreme weather events. Data sources included county-level FEMA disaster declaration data, NCES Common Core of Data district data, and NCES Education Demographic and Geographic Estimates (EDGE) geospatial district boundaries. 

Findings: 9 of 10 school districts experienced at least 1 extreme weather event between 2010 and 2019. Storms were the most common event, affecting 79% of districts. Floods were 2nd most common, affecting 47% of districts. Eight percent of districts experienced fires and 6% of districts experienced tornadoes. 

Implications: The overwhelming majority of districts experienced an extreme weather event over a decade. State and local education leaders need support in 3 key areas: 1) integrating data for real-time monitoring and planning, 2) building capacity for storytelling, 3) identifying impacts on student outcomes.

Author

• Nicholas Ortiz, SRI Education
  Presenting Author