Abstract
Using GIS to Update Federal Education Geographic Indicators
Track: User Presentations - Administration
Authors: Doug Geverdt
The National Center for Education Statistics works with the Census Bureau to assign a standard geographic indicator to all schools and school districts in the U.S. These indicators are used for educational research and program administration, and they primarily rely on the location of schools and districts relative to Census-defined urban areas. Urban boundaries are updated once a decade based on decennial census data, and changes resulting from the 2010 census have important effects on the geographic classification of many schools and districts. The purpose of this presentation is to highlight the functional role of GIS in developing these geographic indicators, as well as its role as an analytic tool to assess changes in educational geography. The discussion will include an overview of the NCES locale framework, a brief look at the changes resulting from the 2010 urban delineation, and potential effects of these changes for researchers and program administrators.