Spatial Variation in Educational Quality in Colombia Based on the Phenomena of Agglomeration and Academic Segregation

Abstract

This study seeks to measure the degree of agglomeration of educational quality in Colombia, based on the nonsocialization of the population that exhibits low educational quality, with the population that exhibits high educational quality, and thus determine how such agglomeration affects the phenomenon of academic segregation. To this end, we perform a spatial analysis of the educational quality in Colombia and of variables that may influence the phenomenon of educational agglomeration. The level of agglomeration in educational quality in Colombia is demonstrated by the calculation of the Moran’s Index, in which a result of 0.62 was obtained. High educational quality is concentrated in the Andean region, while low educational quality is agglomerated in the periphery of the country, in areas such as the Pacific region. A spatial regression model was carried out to measure the dependence of municipalities on their neighbors, and to determine the main socio-economic factors affecting the phenomenon of educational agglomeration in Colombia, finding that living conditions, unsatisfied basic needs and fiscal transparency all have an impact on the educational quality of the municipalities. It is also found that the number of homicides in the municipalities does not seem to have a significant relationship with education.

Differences in Civic and Citizenship Education Between Latin American and European Countries

“…Recently, within each aspect, studies have also considered the effects of school and family environments, i.e., they take into account what happens inside and outside the classroom as a factor that influences the learning process of students. [See Arango-Londoño, Farkas, Castillo and Castro-Aristizabal [13] and Castro-Aristizabal, et al [14]). In addition, these studies have also incorporated as determinants of competencies, variables associated with the social and cultural capital that both households and schools may have.…”