16 november 2005daun-barnett & affolter-caine1 ashe: public policy conference philadelphia,...

16 November 2005 Daun-Barnett & Affolter-Caine 1

ASHE: Public Policy Conference

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 16, 2005

Nathan Daun-Barnett, University of Michigan

Britany Affolter-Caine, University of Michigan

Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Influence State Policy: A new descriptive, diagnostic,

and analytical tool for higher education research


Research Questions

Is mapping of data through Geographic Information Systems technology a useful analytical tool for conducting policy research?

Does mapping of data provide a unique research tool to inform policy?


Utilizing Geographic Information Systems to Influence State Policy

Introduction to GISI

Application of GIS in Research

Limitations

III

II

The Cherry Commission: GIS as Descriptive, Diagnostic, and Analytical Tool

IV Next Steps

V


Geographic Information System: What is it?

Powerful means to store, organize and analyze data that can be described or modeled spatially/geographically (Black, MacDonald, & Black, 1998)

Strength is in ability to match a single data record and its address (Cooke & Maxfield, 1967; Drummond, 1995)

Enables researchers to control for scale (Healey & Stamp,

2000) to local level where policies have impact (Sawicki & Flynn, 1996)

Interest in neighborhood-scale indicators has followed the shift of federal social programs to state/local levels (Wallis, 1994)

Introduction to GISI


Where the People are: Traditional Map of Population Density

Population Density per Square Mile

Map Source: S. Swan & B. Affolter-Caine, March, 2005

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census


Shades of Red (Bush) and Blue (Kerry) in the 2004 Presidential Election

© Source: Sara I. Fabrikant, 2004

Political Maps


Application of GIS in Research

How is GIS used as a research tool?

II

Researchers in social sciences and humanities are beginning to incorporate GIS as an analytical tool in their research– history (e.g., Black, et.al., 1998; Knowles, 2000)

– economics (e.g., Healey & Stamp, 2000)

– demography (e.g., Brewer & Suchan, 2001)

– public health (e.g., de Lepper, Scholten, & Stern, 1995)

GIS has been widely utilized in development of policy (Monsef, Smith, & El-Ghawaby, 2003; de Lepper, Scholten, & Stern,

1995) and implementation (Skoufias & Parker, 2001)

Use of GIS in education is limited to teaching and learning (e.g., Baban, 2002; Bednarz & Audet, 1999; Kerski, 2003; Lloyd, 2001; Peterson, 2000; Roach, 2004)


The Cherry Commission: GIS as a Descriptive, Diagnostic and Analytical Tool

Highlights

III

Goals: “Double the number of college graduates in ten years” and link higher education with workforce

Commissioners included 42 individuals from business, education, government across the state divided into four workgroups:

PreparationParticipationCompletionEconomic Benefits

Commissioners requested, consumed, and used mapped data in their public and workgroup discussions

Final Report included several maps to support their 19 recommendations


Map Source: S. Swan & B. Affolter-Caine, March, 2005

Scale from light blue (lowest fifth) to dark blue (highest fifth)

How does Michigan compare across the nation in terms of the educational attainment of its population?

Educational Attainment for Persons 25 Years of Age and Older, 2000 (U.S.)

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census

Michigan is in the second to bottom fifth of states, even though we are home to some of the world’s best universities

and colleges


Lessons• People locate near major

research universities, except in Detroit

• People locate in aesthetic locales, but not universally

• People are leaving economically depressed regions

• The Western portion of the state is attracting more residents

• Detroit is in a class all its own

Where are people migrating? Which counties are experiencing the greatest influx or deduction of people?

Descriptive Map of Migration Patterns by County in Michigan, 1995-2000

Map Source: S. Swan & N. Daun-Barnett, July, 2004

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau



Where are students located who fail to take a college entrance exam – a critical step in attending a 4-year college?

Diagnostic Map of School Districts with Low ACT Participation Rates (0-50 percent)Data Source: MEAP

Lessons• ACT participation

rates are below 50% in one of every five school districts

• Low ACT participation is not exclusively an urban problem; rather it affects districts throughout the entire state



Is distance from a college or university related to low ACT participation rates?

ACT Participation Rates by Proximity to College Campuses

Data Source: ACT, IPEDS

Lessons• Only a small

percentage of low ACT participation schools are more than 25 miles from a college or university

• The Cherry Commission made two recommendations: use the ACT as the high school test and create community compacts to partner schools, businesses and colleges

Michigan CollegesACT Participation > 25 miles <25 Miles



Descriptive Map Illustrating Levels of Degree Attainment and Colleges and UniversitiesData Source: IPEDS, 2000 Census

Lessons• There is greater

degree attainment where universities and colleges are located

• Detroit is the exception: urban core vs. outer rings

• A closer look reveals great disparity within a local area as well

Is the location of a college or university correlated with educational attainment of local residents?


What is the potential of GIS as a unique analytical tool in education policy research?

Next StepsIV

Society is increasing its reliance on GIS spatial information in decision-making (Jeffress, 2001)

Current Projects• Cherry Commission Implementation Efforts

• Brookings Institute: Great Lakes Economic Initiative

• The Roadmap – Jim Duderstadt, President Emeritus, University of Michigan

Potential Use of GIS?• Katrina Aftermath Analysis

• No Child Left Behind

• Affirmative Action

• Financial Aid


If R&D centers, like in the Auto Industry, need and attract talented workers, where is Michigan Great Lakes Region and its auto industry

Blue: AssemblyRed: Suppliers Black: R&D

Source: Automation Alley, presented to Benefits Workgroup of the Cherry Commission by Phillip Bertolini and Charles DeVries in September, 2004


Does human capital matter? Where are talented people agglomerating?

Educational Attainment 2000 by County

Scale from light blue (lowest fifth) to dark blue (highest fifth)

Lessons• Talent agglomeration is

compounding in relatively few metros and college towns across the Great Lakes Region

Map Source: B. Affolter-Caine, June, 2005

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000


QuebecQuebec

OntarioOntario

AlbertaAlberta

ManitobaManitoba

SaskatchewanSaskatchewan

NunavutNunavut

Newfoundland And LabradorNewfoundland And Labrador

British ColumbiaBritish Columbia

New BrunswickNew Brunswick

Northwest TerritoriesNorthwest Territories

MTMT

COCO

ILIL

WYWY

KSKS

UTUT

IAIA

SDSD

NENE

MNMN

IDID

NDND

WIWI

MOMO

MIMI

ININ

NYNY

PAPA

KYKY

VAVA

OHOH

NCNC

MEME

AZAZNMNM

WVWV

TNTN

VTVTNHNH

MDMD

NJNJ

MAMA

CTCT

NVNV

DEDE

ARAR

RIRI

DCDC

The Great Lakes Region is home to the world’s greatest collection of research universities

Research Universities

Map Source: S. Swan & B. Affolter-Caine, July, 2005

Data Source: IPEDS

Brookings Institute’s Great Lakes Economic Initiative


One must consider the level of analysis

Cut scores for mapping elements may mask relationships evident in the actual data

The software is not widely available and is difficult to learn

Data sources are not readily available for all analyses

What are the limitations of using GIS as a research tool to influence policy decisions?

LimitationsIV


For copies of this paper, visit www.thenationalforum.org

Nathan Daun-Barnett may be contacted at [email protected] Affolter-Caine may be contacted at [email protected]

The authors would especially like to thank Scott Swan, who assisted us in our attempts to learn the GIS software and enabled us to explore answers to

our policy questions from a geographical perspective. We also would like to express

appreciation to John Burkhardt and the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good

for supporting us in our experimentation with GIS.

16 november 2005daun-barnett & affolter-caine1 ashe: public policy conference philadelphia,...

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