Avoiding Danger on the Way to School: Exposure to Violent Crime, Public Transportation, and Absenteeism

• In Event: 1555 - Urban Sociology

Abstract

Commuting to school using public transportation is increasingly common in large urban districts. Because they are not in the protected environment of a yellow bus, students who commute to school on public transit may be exposed to violence and other forms of victimization. This study uses administrative data from 4,600 first-time freshmen in Baltimore City public high schools to explore the relationship between exposure to violence the way to school and the number of days absent during the 2014-15 school year. We find that exposure to violent crime along the outdoor, walking and waiting portion of the trip is associated with an increase in the number of annual absences. Exposure to violent crime while on the bus and exposure to property crime are not. The results are robust to controls for student demographics, prior attendance, violent crime around homes and schools, and unobserved differences related to school preference. These findings highlight the importance of transit in an era of school choice and emphasize the link between neighborhood disadvantage and educational outcomes even when students do not attend their neighborhood school.

Authors

• Julia Burdick-Will, Johns Hopkins University

• Marc Stein, Johns Hopkins University

• Jeffrey Grigg, Johns Hopkins University