Reconceptualizing the Problem of School Transportation From an Ecological Perspective

• In Event: Schools and Social Policy: Segregation, Housing, and Transportation

Abstract

In this study, we seek to reconceptualize school transportation from an ecological perspective by considering how students’ micro-, meso-, and macro-contexts interact to produce enrollment and attendance in school. Understanding how students’ contexts work together to facilitate or hinder access is essential for policymakers seeking to create equitable opportunities for students. Therefore, this study answers the following questions: 1) How are school transportation problems manifested at the intersection of students’ ecological contexts? and 2) How are school transportation solutions created at the intersection of students’ ecological contexts? We conclude with a discussion about how these findings can inform policy and practice seeking to expand educational access.

Authors

• Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, Wayne State University

• Jeremy Lee Singer, Wayne State University

• Kimberly Stokes, Wayne State University

• James Bear Mahowald, Wayne State University

• Sahar Khawaja