The Role of the Geography of Educational Opportunity in the Well-Being of African American Children

• In Event: 69.053 - Racial and Ethnic Variation in School Climate Perceptions and Strategies for a Positive Racial/Ethnic Climate

Abstract

The notion of geography of opportunity is rooted in the idea that where people live affects their access to academic and economic opportunities, life outcomes, and overall well-being (e.g., health, life span, and happiness). With regard to schooling, where one lives plays a powerful role in the quality of the education received and research finds a negative effect on academic achievement for those children who attend a high poverty school. Children living in dense urban communities are often exposed to a number of risk factors that threaten educational well-being including low-performing schools. This paper explores the impact of the geography of educational opportunity on the well-being of low-income African American fourth graders in a major urban city.

Authors

• K. Milam Brooks, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Pamela Anne Quiroz, University of Illinois at Chicago