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Economic Segregation:Challenging Ohio’s Schools

Rebecca Reno and Jason ReeceResearch Associates

Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity

The Ohio State UniversityPresentation to the 2006 Forum on

HomelessnessOctober 18th 2006

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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

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Causes

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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)

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Spatial Trends► Since 1970, 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► This economic segregation also impacts

many low income White families

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N

EW

S

African American Population in Franklin County by Census Tract 1970

Prepared by:Kirwan Institute for the

Study of Race & EthnicityDate: 10/13/05

Source: Census, NCDB

0 - 5%5 - 10%10 to 25%25 to 50%50 to 100%

Highways

Columbus Public School District

% African American

Legend:

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N

EW

S

African American Population in Franklin County by Census Tract 2000

Prepared by:Kirwan Institute for the

Study of Race & EthnicityDate: 10/13/05

Source: Census, NCDB

0 - 5%5 - 10%10 to 25%25 to 50%50 to 100%

Highways

Columbus Public School District

% African American

Legend:

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Rates of School and Residential Segregation in the Columbus MSA

82.6

66.8 69.081.4

67.263.160.0

65.070.075.080.085.090.0

1970 1990 2000School SegregationNeighborhood Segregation

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Race and School PovertyThis 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)

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School Poverty & RaceAverage School Poverty Rate for the Average Student by Race in 2000

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Consequences

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► 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

Impact of High-Poverty Schools: School Quality

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Non High Poverty SchoolsDesignation Total %Academic Emergency 17 2.2%Academic Watch 30 3.8%Continuous Improvement 168 21.3%Effective 265 33.7%Excellent 307 39.0%Grand Total 787

High Poverty SchoolsDesignation Total %Academic Emergency 163 37.7%Academic Watch 69 16.0%Continuous Improvement 176 40.7%Effective 19 4.4%Excellent 5 1.2%Grand Total 432

Enrollment

Non-HighPovertySchools

HighPovertySchools

2004-2005 472,329 188,029

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 Schools2003-2004

Non-High Poverty vs. High Poverty% of Students

Proficient or ExceedingStandards

Non-HighPovertySchools

HighPovertySchools

Reading 3rd Grade 84.7% 62.7%Read 4th Grade 83.2% 55.6%Reading 5th Grade 84.1% 54.0%Reading 6th Grade 78.1% 51.6%Reading 8th Grade 83.8% 55.0%

% of StudentsProficient or ExceedingStandards

Non-HighPovertySchools

HighPovertySchools

Math 3rd Grade 78.4% 46.3%Math 4th Grade 72.8% 46.8%Math 6th Grade 71.1% 40.1%Math 7th Grade 66.5% 26.9%Math 8th Grade 68.3% 26.0%

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Teacher Quality & Attrition

Source: Helping Children Move from Bad Schools to Good Ones. Richard D. Kahlenberg. The Century Foundation. 6/15/2006

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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

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.

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►Academic►Psychological►Health►Economic►Employment►Democratic

Negative Factors Correlated with Segregated Schools

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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

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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 Early Childhood

Education Community Engagement

& Resources

► In-School Factors Curriculum/Pedagogy Tracking Teacher Quality Student & Teacher

Attrition Teacher/Staff/

Administrative Diversity Special

Education/Discipline

► Home Environment Health Violence Housing (Stability &

Quality) Parent Education & SES Student Factors

► Institutional Factors Funding Racial Segregation Socioeconomic

Segregation

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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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Low-income students attending middle-class schools perform higher, on average, than middle-class children attending high-poverty schools

Source: The Century Foundation (2004). Can Separate Be Equal? www.tcf.org

High-Poverty Schools

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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

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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%.

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► 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

Achieving Economic Integration

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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

►Maximizing use of the Earned Income Tax Credit, Minimum 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

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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

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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.

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Questions or Comments? For More Information Visit Us On-

Line:www.KirwanInstitute.org