Dear Applied Statistics Workshop Community,
Our next meeting will be on September 27 (12:00 EST). Tyler Simko presents "Title: School Desegregation by Redrawing District Boundaries."
<When>
September 27, 12:00 to 1:30 PM, EST
Lunch will be available for pick-up inside CGIS K354.
<Where>
In-person: CGIS K354
Zoom:
https://harvard.zoom.us/j/93217566507?pwd=elBwYjRJcWhlVE5teE1VNDZoUXdjQT09
<Abstract>
Schools in the United States remain heavily segregated by race and income. Previous work demonstrates districts can reduce segregation between their schools with policies like redrawing attendance zones. Yet, the promise of such policies in many areas is limited by the fact that most school segregation occurs between school districts, and not between schools in the same district. I adapt Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms from political redistricting methodology to redraw school district boundaries that decrease segregation while maintaining desirable criteria like distance to school and using only existing school facilities. Focusing on New Jersey, where the segregation of Black and Hispanic students from White and Asian students is among the worst in the country, I demonstrate that redrawing school districts could reduce nearly 40% of existing segregation in the median New Jersey county, compared to less than 5% for redrawing attendance zones alone. Finally, I show how my proposed methodology can be applied to as few as two districts to reduce segregation in proposed “mergers,” a consolidation of small districts into one large district.
<2023 Schedule>
GOV 3009 Website:
https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/applied.stats.workshop-gov3009
Calendar:
Best,
Jialu