Analyzing and Mapping Census and Student Data

Analyzing and Mapping Census and Student Data 2006 PNAIRP Conference Welches, OR

Acknowledgements • The State Board for Community Colleges wishes to thank the Ford Foundation’s Bridges to Opportunity Program and the Washington State College Spark Foundation for their support for this project.

Presenters • David Prince, State Board for Community & Technical Colleges • Beth Hartsoch, Research & Information Analyst, Skagit Valley College • Maureen Pettitt, Director Institutional Research, Skagit Valley College

Workshop Topics • Project Background • Data Structure • Applications • Statewide • College – SVC Example • Sample Questions • Next Steps • What will colleges get? • How can you use the data? • Q & A

Project Background

A Census Based Proxy for Student Socioeconomic Status and Income • Based on census data for income, education (BA or higher) and occupation (professional/managerial) • Student address matched to census • Student assigned median household income and SES for area mapped

Washington State Socioeconomic Status Quintiles 1990 and 2000

Race still matters

State population- more than ever before our future adults are being born and raised in low SES households.

Participation rates measure how close the resemblance is between state population and CTC students • Part Rate = % of students ÷ % state population • Part Rate less than 1 = less than population • Part Rate 1 = Parity • Part Rate greater than 1 = more than population

Participation for Younger and Older Students by SES Quintiles - 2000

Students socioeconomic differences become even more magnified by colleges, raising the question, “How best can system support colleges so varied in student body and community make-up?”

Additional information • For the full research report: Socioeconomic Well-Being of Washington State: Who Attends Community and Technical Colleges (Sept 2006) link to: http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/data/rsrchrpts/resh_06-4.doc

Data Structure • Relational Database (MS Access) • SBCTC Data Warehouse & Census Data tables • Spatial Data • GIS

GIS – Quick Intro • GIS = Geographic Information System • Useful for: • Visualizing distribution • Spatial analysis • Types of Data: • Point (students @ home addresses) • Line (roads, rivers) • Polygon (block groups, lakes, cities) • Raster (hillshade, aerial photo)

Spatial Data – Raster

DW – Student Data Family Status Fund Source Ed background Ethnic Program Intent Census – Population Data Demographic Ed background Ethnic SES Med HH Income / Ethnic Employment Database – Example Contents

Database – Placing Students in Block Groups DW Address: 234 Main St, Bellingham 98225 Student on Map GIS BG # on Student Record BG# 530730009003

Database – Adding Student Data to Block Groups Student data is aggregated for each block group and can be joined to the block group data by block group number BG# 530730009003 • BG# 530730009003 • Students: 218 • % Hispanic Students: 5.4% • # Transfer Students: 59 BG# 530730009003 BG# 530730009003

Applications

Sample Questions – Demographics of our Population • What percent of our students’ household income is below $20,000 for a grant application? • How has the SES of our district changed between census dates? • What is the median household income of Hispanic students in our district?

Sample Questions – Demographics of our Population 2000 SVC Students whose HHIN was less than $20,000: 4.4%

Sample Questions – Demographics of our Population • What percent of our students’ household income is below $20,000 for a grant application? • How has the SES of our district changed between census dates? • What is the median household income of Hispanic students in our district?

Hispanic SVC Students' Household Income * Based on Median Household Income Census data for the Hispanic population of the block group.

Sample Questions – Serving Our Minority Population • Where are minority groups concentrated within our district? • Where are these groups underrepresented in the student population? • Should we extend our ESL program to a remote location?

Familiar Problem: Conflicting methods of tracking ethnic vs. race codes. Future data sets should match. Census Data 1990 & 2000 Separate ethnic and race code fields Can choose “Hispanic” as well as a race code Sample Questions – Serving Our Minority Population SBCTC Data 1993 & 2001 • One ethnic code field • Choosing “Hispanic” precludes choosing another option

Sample Questions – Serving Our Minority Population • Where are minority groups concentrated within our district? • Where are these groups underrepresented in the student population? • Should we extend our ESL program to a remote location?

Sample Questions – Improving our Marketing Efforts • What percent of the population is between 18 and 25 years of age? • What is the geographic distribution of the population older than 25 years who have less than an Associate’s Degree? • What percent of the population attends a community or technical college?

Analyzing and Mapping Census and Student Data