A Map Is More Than Just a Graph: Geospatial Educational Research and the Importance of Historical Context

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the promise of geospatial techniques for education policy research and how increased attention to the historical context of spatial data can enhance that work. While scholarship utilizing geographic information systems has added considerable breadth to our understanding of education policy, recent geospatial studies in education policy tended to neglect long-term, historical trends. Drawing on research in geography dealing with temporality, this article discusses the critical importance of historical context for spatial analysis. Then, to illustrate this point, I use the example of education policy research on school district boundaries to suggest the benefits of extending our temporal frame when conducting geospatial educational research. Greater attention to the historical context of geospatial data can (1) help policy researchers generate new research questions, (2) enhance their use of quantitative spatial analysis techniques, and (3) deepen their understanding of the underlying causes of contemporary patterns in the distribution of educational opportunity.

Geospatial Analysis: A New Window Into Educational Equity, Access, and Opportunity

“…Another dynamic GIS approach is “exploratory spatial data analysis,” a practice rooted in the principles of “a more interactive and visual approach to statistical analysis” (Goodchild & Janelle, 2004, p. 7) originated by Tukey (1977) and others. Kelly (2019) calls for more historical analyses using GIS, encouraging researchers to “reap the benefits of considering time and space simultaneously” (p. 11). Earlier I briefly discussed mixed-methods approaches to GIS, which opens up even more epistemological possibilities.…”

“…They used GIS tools to create a spatial accessibility index to gauge students' accessibility to high schools and then compared the accessibilities over time. To learn of other GIS studies adopting a historical perspective, see a summary by Kelly (2019).…”

“…A robust body of “geographic” education policy research has been amassing over the past 25 years. Researchers from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds have persistently highlighted the value of examining education phenomena from a spatial perspective (Bruno, 1996; Cobb, 2003; Gulson & Symes, 2007; Holloway et al, 2010; Kelly, 2019; Lubienski & Dougherty, 2009; Misra et al, 2012; Tate, 2008; Taylor, 2007). Advances in software packages have undoubtedly contributed to the field’s emergence—namely, the growing use of “geographic information systems,” or GIS.…”

The Role of Place, Geography, and Geographic Information Systems in Educational Research

“…In “A Map Is More Than Just a Graph: Geospatial Educational Research and the Importance of Historical Context,” Kelly (2019) also argues about context, but focuses on history and time, asserting “spatial analysis is incomplete without a broad temporal frame.” Through the article, Kelly shows how boundaries of the past carried different meanings than boundaries of today and shows how “historicizing spatial data” allows researchers to expand the precision and accuracy beyond using a map as a stand-in for a basic, single time-point descriptive graph. Kelly depicts school boundaries in California and concludes with compelling questions.…”

Geospatial Clustering for Balanced and Proximal Schools

“…Recent works have highlighted the promise of using geospatial context for studying school district boundaries (Yoon and Lubienski 2018). In fact, the operation of a school district generates a vast amount of geospatial data that can be analyzed to answer important questions regarding the long-term planning and design of school boundaries (Kelly 2019).…”