Economic Segregation:
Challenging Ohio’s Schools
Rebecca Reno and Jason Reece
Research Associates
Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity
The Ohio State University
Presentation to the 2006 Forum on Homelessness
October 18th 2006
1
Overview of Presentation
► Economic Segregation in Ohio’s Schools
Causes of economic segregation in our Public
Schools
Consequences of economic segregation
Policy solutions to reduce economic segregation
in our schools
2
Causes
3
Causes of Economic Segregation
► The link between housing and education
Economic segregation in our schools is a direct
reflection of the racial and economic
segregation in our neighborhoods
Housing and school segregation also reinforce
each other
►Housing determines access to schools
►School quality determines access to housing (through
the impact on price)
4
Spatial Trends
► Since1970, African Americans have become less
concentrated in Franklin County
But few African Americans have moved beyond the
boundaries of the Columbus Public Schools since 1970
► What influences this?
Land use policy, exclusionary housing patterns,
discrimination
► Thiseconomic segregation also impacts many low
income White families
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6
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Race and School Poverty
This map displays the distribution of high poverty schools over the
distribution of African American neighborhoods in Franklin County
(similar trends are seen in other Ohio metro areas)
9
School Poverty & Race
Average School Poverty Rate for the
Average Student by Race in 2000
10
Consequences
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Impact of High-Poverty Schools:
School Quality
► Ohio’s public school classification system:
Excellent
Effective
Continuous Improvement
Academic Watch
Academic Emergency
► 94.4% of high poverty schools are classified in the
lowest three categories
► In no case in Ohio does a high-poverty
school outperform a non-high poverty
school 12
Ohio’s Public
Schools:
School
Designation by
School Poverty
Rate 2004-2005
For Schools in
Largest Six
Counties
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Test Scores for Ohio Schools
2003-2004
Non-High Poverty vs. High Poverty
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Teacher Quality & Attrition
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Source: Helping Children Move from Bad Schools to Good Ones. Richard D. Kahlenberg. The Century Foundation. 6/15/2006
Impact of High-Poverty Schools
► Inadequate funding & resources
► Negative peer influences
► Low levels of parental involvement
► Low expectations, lower standards
► Discipline problems
► High student/teacher mobility
16
Source: [1] Harris, D.N. (2006). Ending the Blame Game on Educational Inequality: A Study of ‘High Flying’ Schools and NCLB.
Educational Policy Research Unit, Arizona State University.
Negative Factors Correlated with
Segregated Schools
► Academic
► Psychological
► Health
► Economic
► Employment
► Democratic
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Societal Implications
► Economic segregation has broader impacts beyond
just student outcomes in the classroom
Economic segregation fuels other large regional issues
impacting the health of everyone
► The link between sprawl/inner city flight and school quality
Concern about school quality is the primary reason for households
who decide to leave urban neighborhoods
Economic segregation degrades educational outcomes (e.g.
indicators of school quality) and influences the flight of families
from urban school districts
► Reinforces residential segregation in our neighborhoods
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Cycle of Segregation
School Lower Educational
Segregation Outcomes for Urban
(Economic) School Districts
Increased Flight
Neighborhood
of Affluent
(Housing)
Families from
Segregation
Urban Areas
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Societal Implications
► Linked fates: Economic segregation produces
underperforming schools, which harms everyone
in the long run
Inequality is a sign of an economically/socially
inefficient region, where proper investments are not
made in human capital, and where much of the
population can not meet its creative potential
The region loses its competitive edge in the global
economy due to inequitable schools that produce an
unprepared labor force
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Solutions
“The notion that all children perform better in middle-class
schools than in poverty-concentrated schools is the most
consistent findings in research on education.”
-Gary Orfield
Cited in Divided We Fail: Coming Together Through Public School Choice.
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Factors that Impact Education
► Out of School Factors ► Home Environment
Early Childhood Education Health
Community Engagement & Violence
Resources
Housing (Stability & Quality)
► In-School Factors Parent Education & SES
Curriculum/Pedagogy Student Factors
Tracking
Teacher Quality ► Institutional Factors
Student & Teacher Attrition Funding
Teacher/Staff/Administrative Racial Segregation
Diversity
Special Education/Discipline Socioeconomic Segregation
22
Overarching Education Policy:
Economic Integration
► Need sustainable reform
► Because opportunities are distributed
geographically, the solution must have the
scope and breadth to disrupt the current
arrangement
Schools reflect racial, ethnic and SES segregation
of the region
► Integration
By Race
By Socioeconomic Status
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High-Poverty Schools
Low-income students attending middle-class
schools perform higher, on average, than middle-
class children attending high-poverty schools
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Source: The Century Foundation (2004). Can Separate Be Equal? www.tcf.org
Benefits of Economic Integration
► Increased student expectations
► Access to social capital
► Positive impact on cognitive development for ALL
► Improved academic achievement
► Schools better able to attract and retain teachers
► Lower drop out rates
► Higher career aspirations
► Students more likely to attend college
► Fewer incidents with police
► Students less likely to become teenage parents 25
26
Achieving Economic Integration
► District magnet/charter schools
Create high-quality magnet schools with academic,
economic thresholds
► Wake County Raleigh, NC
No more than 40% low income
No more than 25% performing below grade level on
state reading test
Results
► Black students: 40% to 80% grade level on standardized
tests
► Hispanic students: 79% to 91%. 27
Achieving Economic Integration
► Suburban schools: designated vouchers/choice
plan
Provide academic support, transportation
Connect to regional housing policies
► Minneapolis Choice is Yours
Urban students are given priority placement in
suburban or magnet schools of their choice
Participants outperformed their peers, with scores in
reading and mathematics that were respectively 23
and 25 percentile points higher
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Working Outside of the Classroom
► Income and housing are two other points of
intervention to address economic segregation in
our schools
Income strategies: Improving the income/assets of low
income families, producing greater housing choice
use of the Earned Income Tax Credit, Minimum
► Maximizing
Wage Campaigns
Housing strategies: Segregation in our schools can also
be addressed by expanding housing opportunities for
low income families in more affluent school districts
► Looking at Inclusionary Zoning and Targeting of Subsidized
Housing
29
Moving Forward
► Reframe the Issue
Education reform for the benefit of ALL
students, not just those historically
disadvantaged.
Equity AS excellence.
Maximize public investments
Reform for regional health
30
Moving Forward
► Plan big, start small
► Conduct ongoing research
► Build upon successes
► Extensive public communication
► Regional collaboration
► Extend beyond education: Housing
policy is education policy. Any serious
effort must be inclusive of both. 31
Questions or Comments?
For More Information Visit Us On-Line:
www.KirwanInstitute.org
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