Research and Teaching in Urban Sociology Shelley McDonough Kimelberg Assistant Professor of Sociology Northeastern University [email protected] ASA High

Research and Teaching in Urban Sociology

Shelley McDonough KimelbergAssistant Professor of Sociology

Northeastern [email protected]

ASA High School Symposium NCSS Annual Conference, Boston MA November 21, 2014

Five Lessons in Urban SociologyFive Lessons in Urban Sociology

•What do we mean by ‘urban’?

•Urban issue #1: Residential segregation

•Urban issue #2: Gentrification

•Urban issue #3: Transportation

•Urban issue #4: Education

What do we mean by ‘urban’?What do we mean by ‘urban’?

Write down 5 words or phrases that

convey what ‘urban’ means.

Write down 5 words or phrases that

convey what ‘urban’ means.

How does the experience of living in an urban place differ from the experience

of living in a rural place?

How does the experience of living in an urban place differ from the experience

of living in a rural place?


• …the number of people in the place?

• …the physical size of the place?

• …the density of the place?

• …the kinds of buildings that populate the space?

• …certain types of people?

• …certain types of activities, amenities, behaviors?

• …certain pace or nature of life?

Anchorage, AK is 1,700 square miles

Anchorage, AK is 1,700 square miles

Cambridge, MA is 6 square miles

Cambridge, MA is 6 square miles

Charleston, SC has a population of roughly

100,000

Charleston, SC has a population of roughly

100,000

New York City has a population of roughly 8

million

New York City has a population of roughly 8

million

7% of Memphis residents speak a

language other than English at home

7% of Memphis residents speak a

language other than English at home

71% of El Paso residents speak a language other than English at home

71% of El Paso residents speak a language other than English at home



9% of the residents of San Jose, CA are poor9% of the residents of San Jose, CA are poor

30% of the residents of Buffalo are poor

30% of the residents of Buffalo are poor

95% of the residents in Portland, ME are non-

Hispanic whites

95% of the residents in Portland, ME are non-

Hispanic whites

20% of the residents of Miami, FL are non-

Hispanic whites

20% of the residents of Miami, FL are non-

Hispanic whites

The median value of a house in San Francisco is

$780,000

The median value of a house in San Francisco is

$780,000

The median value of a house in Detroit is

$82,000

The median value of a house in Detroit is

$82,000

Issue #1: Residential segregationIssue #1: Residential segregation

Degree of physical separation of different social groups in a given geographic area (e.g.,

city, metropolitan area, etc.)

Degree of physical separation of different social groups in a given geographic area (e.g.,

city, metropolitan area, etc.)

RACE INCOME/CLASS

Residential segregationResidential segregation

HIGH

LOW

US Census; Salon


US Census; Salon


US Census; Salon


Redlining(Philadelphia, 1936)

Redlining(Philadelphia, 1936)


Logan (2011); US 2010


Farley-Schuman; MCSUI; Charles


Farley-Schuman; MCSUI; Charles


Percentage of applicants who were denied a mortgage (1991)

Federal Reserve Board, 1991


Access to high quality schoolsAccess to high quality schools

Access to jobs and labor markets

Access to jobs and labor markets

Effect on financial assets

(home)

Effect on financial assets

(home)

Exposure to povertyExposure to poverty

HealthHealth

Effects on race relations

Effects on race relations

Residential segregation

Issue #2: GentrificationIssue #2: Gentrification





XYZ Street, Charlestown MA

$186,000 (1989)$629,000 (2008)

#2

$259,000 (2001)$675,000 (2005)

$305,000 (1998)$679,000 (2008)

$400,000 (1999)$1,025,000 (2009)

$60,000 (1992)$715,000 (2010)

$395,000 (1999)$685,000 (2002)

$180,000 (1994)$930,000 (2006)

$245,000 (1994)$705,000 (2005)

#4 #6 #8

#1 #3 #5 #7

Issue #3: TransportationIssue #3: Transportation

Car ownershipCar ownership SuburbanizationSuburbanization


‘transportation disadvantaged’ ‘transportation disadvantaged’


Leadership Conference Education Fund, March 2011


Issue #4: EducationIssue #4: Education

Pass rate (levels 3-4) for 4th grade NYS exams (2010)

4-year high school graduation rates (2012)


% of schools that are high poverty

Orfield & Lee (2005)


% of students attending high poverty schools

Orfield & Lee (2005)


Duncan & Murnane (2011)


Sample research project: Middle-class parents and urban public schools

Sample research project: Middle-class parents and urban public schools

In the beginning …

+

+ =Boston Public Schools ?

So what?• Departure of middle class (especially whites) from urban public schools

well established in the literature

• Concerns about attendant loss of resources – financial, social, cultural capital – from urban schools

• Easy to assume that all parents with the financial means to do so reflexively opt out of urban school districts (move to the suburbs, private school)

• Little research to date on families who make the opposite choice -> to stay in the city and utilize public schools

Research setting• Boston infamous for highly

contentious school desegregation efforts in 1970s

• Court-ordered busing of white and black students met with fierce resistance

• School population fell by dramatically by the time the order was lifted in late 1980s

Research settingpe

rcen

t

Racial/ethnic composition of Boston Public Schools

Data• 32 in-depth interviews (60-90 min. each) with middle-

class parents (mothers) living in Boston▫Semi-structured interview protocol with focus on how

they made residential and schooling decisions

• Respondents recruited from four local parenting discussion boards

• Respondents have chosen to enroll children in Boston Public Schools (BPS), or plan to do so

MARITAL STATUS RACE/ETHNICITY

Married 91% White 91%

Divorced 6% Black 3%

Never married 3% Hispanic / Other 6%

EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT STATUS

H.S. degree 3% Full-time 62%

Associates degree 3% Part-time / student 16%

Bachelors degree 13% Not currently employed outside home 22%

Graduate degree 81%

MEDIAN INCOME $150,000 HOMEOWNERSHIP STATUS

Owns 94%

MEDIAN # OF KIDS 2 Rents 6%

Sample characteristics

Source: Boston Public Schools. “Student Assignment Policy.”

“Walk Zone”

School assignment in BPS (then)

• BPS divided into three zones, drawn to include both predominantly black and predominantly white neighborhoods

• Families can list any school in their zone, as well as in their “walk zone” (1 mile for elementary)

• Priority:1. Siblings2. 50% reserved for walk zone3. Remainder based on

lottery

Findings: Summary• Diversity (racial and socioeconomic) largely seen as a positive

– one of many “amenities” to be pursued in the school search

• But the desire for diversity must be understood in the context of other criteria central to the decision-making process▫ Neighborhood schools▫ Critical mass of people “like me” in the school (clustering)

• Respondents were largely successful at securing for their children a “diverse” school environment … but the way in which they accomplished this raises questions about the consequences for other schools / district as a whole

Seeking diversity

“Real world”

Self as reference

Instrumental value

Appeal of a diverse school environment reflects several motivations:

• Want child to have schooling experience that is (usually) very different from one’s own

• Believe that it’s important that child’s classroom represent society as it “really” is

• Believe that diverse learning environment imparts important skills for future

Seeking diversitySelf as reference

“One of the reasons we want Gina to go to a Boston public school is that we want her to be in a racially diverse environment. Ben [Carla’s husband] and I went to schools in artificially racially diverse environments...Ben and I never experienced [having non-white friends], but we really want Gina to have a different experience that way.” -Carla

Seeking diversitySelf as reference

“I don’t need the [homogeneity]. I grew up in that. I was joking with a friend of mine. I said, ‘Yeah, I went to a parochial school.’ I said, ‘and in high school we had one black student, and he was adopted by a white family, so he didn’t count.’” -Beth

Seeking diversityReal world

“I think it’s important for them to be in a more diverse student body. So that was a big strike against the private schools, because they are very homogeneous when you go and look at them. And I think that it’s a disservice to have children learning in an environment where everybody is much like themselves and then they grow up thinking maybe that the world is much like themselves. So I really like that component of having that cultural diversity just be the norm, a normal part of their day.” -Helen

Seeking diversityInstrumental value

“…Can my kid gain value from the experience of being in a place where there’s various languages spoken, kids are coming with all kinds of different experiences in life? . . . We’re more concerned about her having an experience that’s going to prepare her for life. I don’t think being in a very sheltered, homogeneous educational environment prepares somebody for life.” -Amanda

Neighborhood schools

Neighborhood schools Peer influencePeer influenceDiversity

Diversity in context

Seeking neighborhood schools• Narrative around the meaning of “neighborhood schools” not as clear

cut as it once was

• Then: At height of busing crisis, (thinly veiled) preference for single race (white) schools often expressed as preference for neighborhood schools

• Now: Respondents still express desire for neighborhood-based schools, but adamant about distancing themselves from racist past▫ Cite diversity in the city and in their own neighborhoods as one of the

main attractions of urban life (reject the suburbs)▫ While residential segregation still high in Boston, most respondents

live in neighborhoods with sizable public housing populations (now largely non-white)

▫ Decouple opposition to busing from opposition to racial diversity

Seeking neighborhood schools

Foster community

Walkability

Opposition to busing

Appeal of neighborhood schools reflects several motivations:

• Comports well with environmentally-friendly, progressive attitudes

• See local schools as an engine of community-building outside of the classroom

• Object to busing on practical grounds – concerns about safety, wasted time

Seeking neighborhood schoolsFoster community

“Here it’s like a big community thing. I mean, you see all your families that you know. Everybody goes to school every morning. So all the parents walk their kids in. It’s like a meeting place. So it’s kind of neat.” -Kimberly

I love that Sunday afternoon we’ll go down to the high school track to ride our bikes and we’ll see three kids from school there. I really, really like that. And if you’re stuck, someone else can pick him up [from school] that day.

-Carrie

Seeking neighborhood schoolsOpposition to busing

“That’s why I want a neighborhood school….I would never, ever, ever put my four-, five-, six-, seven-year-old on a bus. People do. There are problems that I just can’t believe people put up with.” -Justine

“[W]hen you think of your five-year-old commuting an hour to get to school, it has nothing to do, quite frankly, with being racist. . . . It just is fundamentally that you don’t want a five-year-old on a bus for two hours a day.”

-SamanthaBUT…

Seeking neighborhood schoolsOpposition to busing

“I like that kids are bused here. I would never put my kid on a bus, but I like that there’s some diversity from busing.” -Justine

“That was another huge factor for us in sending her there is we wanted her to be with kids from other neighborhoods. So, there, I think it's a 50 percent walk zone and a 50 percent other neighborhoods, which I think is really important, that they let kids – I think the school choice is huge. So I love the fact that there are kids from lots of different neighborhoods. There are kids that look different from the kids that live in the neighborhood.”

-Allison

Seeking peers in the school choice

• Despite the large number of schools available to respondents, our discussions surfaced relatively few school names▫ Not always the ones closest to their homes (though most in or

near neighborhood)▫ Not always the ones with the highest test scores (though most

relatively high performing)

• Those mentioned most frequently were those that had achieved a positive reputation among parents’ peers (people “like me”) – discussed at playdates, heralded on online discussion boards, touted at informal “wine and cheese” events sponsored by host families

Seeking peers in the school choice

Critical mass

Word of mouth

• Subjective approval of neighbors and acquaintances holds lot of weight - trust recommendations of similarly situated peers to narrow down range of viable options

• But verbal approval not sufficient. Need to know that critical mass of families will make commitment as well -> share the risk together -> enough to effect change

Seeking peers in the school choiceWord of mouth

“[E]verybody we’d talk to – because we were very active at [our nursery school], and very active in our play group – and according to most of the other parents, “Oh, you can only choose the Spencer and the Arnold.” . . . So, the Spencer and the Arnold were the two that, if you didn’t get those, you were out of luck.” -Pat

Seeking peers in the school choiceWord of mouth

“I did that [play group] a couple years ago and … there were a bunch of people that go up skiing in [Resortville]. They all had their kids at the Franklin School. It seemed like there was this big group of people that – I don’t want to make huge generalizations here, but, like, maybe don’t have tons of money, but have enough that they can afford to be in [this neighborhood] . . .who are really active and do things like we like to – ski, similar kind of profile. . . . And as I started meeting more people like that who had their kids at the Franklin School, I was like, “Oh, well, you know, maybe it’s fine.” -Jennifer

Seeking peers in the school choiceCritical mass

“We had this group of five, or I think there may have been six of us, six families, five or six families. It was enough to, to make a difference.” -Joan

“And we were thinking, gosh, if everybody in our play group chose the Baker [School], then at least that incoming class of kindergartners would have very involved parents, and the principal seemed . . . really excited about that prospect.” -Pat

Seeking peers in the school choiceCritical mass

“Maybe I would have been OK with just one other family that I felt [Susie, her daughter] would be very comfortable with. But I think four seemed like a critical mass to me of similarly situated kids. And I felt comfortable with that number.” -Millie


Neighborhood schools Peer influencePeer influence

Selecting a school

Respondents end up clustered in a relatively few schools


Neighborhood schools Peer influencePeer influence

Selecting a school

Respondents did end up in schools that were far more diverse than their alternative options. The

schools they chose typically look more racially and socioeconomically heterogeneous.

Diversity

Trends across schools

• After years of decline, enrollment in BPS elementary schools has increased (> 500 students per yr) over the past 5 years▫ While largely due to increases in Hispanic enrollment, there have

been more modest increases in the number of White students every year as well

• However, out of 75 elementary schools, White enrollment increased at only 1/3 … nearly all of these schools experienced simultaneous declines in the proportion of low-income students

A tale of two neighborhood schoolsSchool A School B

< 0.4 miles

perc

ent

perc

ent

A tale of two neighborhood schoolsSchool A School B

< 0.4 miles

perc

ent

perc

ent

The big picture … and more questions• Respondents were able to meet multiple objectives (desire for a

neighborhood school, like-minded peers, a diverse school environment) simultaneously

• Anecdotal evidence suggests that the resources flowing into chosen schools are substantial (grant writing, fundraisers, additional personnel)

• But data suggest that even in the most “promising” cases (i.e., middle-class whites who express a commitment to diversity), the process by which they select schools likely ensures that benefits accruing to the system will be restricted to a few schools, rather than shared throughout

• Also raises question of whether sets stage for deepening intra-district segregation: as certain schools achieve positive reputation among middle-class -> even more attractive -> increased efforts to secure spots in those schools -> reducing slots available to other (poor, non-white) students

Documents

Research and Teaching in Urban Sociology Shelley McDonough Kimelberg Assistant Professor of Sociology Northeastern University [email protected] ASA High