Do Magnet Schools Attract All Families Equally? A GIS Mapping Analysis of Latinos

1. Do Magnet Schools Attract All Families Equally? A GIS Mapping Analysis of Latinos Naralys Estevez Jack Dougherty Trinity College, Hartford CT

2. RQ: Do magnet schools attract all families equally? Study uses Geographic Information System (GIS) to conduct spatial analysis of demographic patterns in magnet school applications. GIS training funded by National Institute for Technology & Liberal Arts Education (NITLE) and Trinity College Academic Computing

3. RQ: Do magnet schools attract all families equally? Study focuses on one site: Montessori Magnet School (MMS) at Learning Corridor

4. RQ: Do magnet schools attract all families equally? Study focuses on one site: Montessori Magnet School (MMS) at Learning Corridor Learning Corridor Montessori

5. RQ: Do magnet schools attract all families equally? Study focuses on one site: Montessori Magnet School (MMS) at Learning Corridor Is the number of applicants to MMS statistically representative of the racial demographics from the school district or census tract where they reside? Learning Corridor Montessori

6. Methods: 2-level analysis - District and Neighborhood

7. Methods: GIS geocoding at the neighborhood-level Magnet administrators agreed to share applicants’ street address data (restricted access to protect individual family confidentiality) Link data to street map

8. Methods: GIS geocoding at the neighborhood-level Geocode street address data as individual points on map

9. Methods: GIS geocoding at the neighborhood-level Overlay neighborhood boundary lines (census tracts, elementary school zones, etc)

10. Methods: GIS geocoding at the neighborhood-level Zone A Zone B Use colors to represent data groups

11. Methods: GIS geocoding at the neighborhood-level Zone A Zone B Remove dots and address data to maintain individual family confidentiality

12. District-level Findings:

13. District-level Findings: Hispanics were less likely than expected to apply if they resided in Hartford and three other western districts; but more likely to apply from four eastern districts X2 ( 3, N = 989) = 128817.59, p<. 001

14. Neighborhood-level Findings: Raw data - Uneven numbers of applicants by race and tract, with more Blacks and Hispanics applying to MMS

15. Neighborhood-level Findings: Disproportionate percentage of Black and Hispanic applicants by tract show statistical significance

16. Neighborhood-level Findings: 55% of Black applicants more likelyto apply, but only 19% of Hispanic applicants more likely to apply than expected

17. Neighborhood-level Findings: When combined, the highest percentage of Black & Hispanic applicants come from the North End and the South End

18. Neighborhood-level Findings: When separated, Black and Hispanic patterns emerge

19. Neighborhood-level Findings: Blacks living in mostly Hispanic South Side more likely to apply

20. Neighborhood-level Findings: Blacks living in mostly Hispanic South Side more likely to apply Hispanics in mostly Black North Side more likely to apply

21. Does MMS Attract all Families Equally?

22. Does MMS Attract all Families Equally? At both the district-level and neighborhood-level, MMS applications are not statistically representative of the racial demographics of student residences.

23. Does MMS Attract all Families Equally? At both the district-level and neighborhood-level, MMS applications are not statistically representative of the racial demographics of student residences. Why do these discrepancies exist?

24. Does MMS Attract all Families Equally? At both the district-level and neighborhood-level, MMS applications are not statistically representative of the racial demographics of student residences. Why do these discrepancies exist? Research needs to consider both “creaming” (school actions to skim off top) and “climbing” (parental actions to win advantage for their children)

25. Does MMS Attract all Families Equally? At both the district-level and neighborhood-level, MMS applications are not statistically representative of the racial demographics of student residences. Why do these discrepancies exist? Research needs to consider both: “Creaming” (school actions to skim off top) & “Climbing” (parental actions to win advantage for their children) Our study of application data alone cannot distinguish between factors, but both are possible.

26. Additional limitations of the study • Application data we received is not guaranteed to be 100 percent accurate • Census 2000 data for neighborhood-level analysis is best available, but not recent • Study of one magnet school is not necessarily representative of metro Hartford; should be expanded to other magnet schools • Need more comprehensive study of “creaming” (such as magnet school marketing) and “climbing” (such as parental motivations for applying)