Public Transit and School Choice in Philadelphia: Exploring Spatial Equity and Social Exclusion

ABSTRACT

This article explores the importance of considering transportation mode when calculating commute time for a child’s school choice options. While proponents of school choice argue that students can attend any school that will provide them the best education, several have argued that commute time is as important for families as a school’s characteristics. However, research to date models commute time using either distance as a proxy or minutes driving. In Philadelphia, a context where most people use public transportation to work and school, the authors argue that commute time to school must be calculated using this mode of transit. Using geospatial network analyses, the authors create choice sets for each neighborhood public high school. They first calculate the commute time between each zoned public high school and each public high school choice in the city by driving and by using public transportation. These two sets of commute times are then evaluated for the differences. The authors then calculate choice sets based on the average commute time in the city based on both modes of transportation. Finally, they compare the choice sets for each service area for spatial equity of public school quality. Findings indicate that the commute times between driving and public transportation are statistically different. Furthermore, public school choice sets within Philadelphia are spatially equitable, although the overall school quality needs improvement. The article concludes with policy implications and recommendations for future research.

KEYWORDS:

• School choice sets
• spatial equity
• social exclusion
• public transit
• commute time
• Philadelphia
• Geographic Information System (GIS)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. This contrasts the national average, where 18% of the national population at or below the poverty line take either a mean of public transportation or walk to work.

2. The Keystone Exams are the standardized tests taken by public high school students in Pennsylvania.

Additional information

Funding

This research has received support from grants awarded to the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. [NICHD P2CHD042849 and T32HD007081]