The Context of Educational Behavior: A Review of Neighborhood Effects Research

The environmental context and neighborhoods in particular have a long-standing and often debated relevance to the subject of educational achievement. The plight of urban education and the populations traditionally served by it has received critical attention from entertainers (Cosby 2004) to the National Governors Association (Achieve 2005). Others have noted differences in the quality of schools according to location persist (Anyon 2005; Education Trust 2005; Lee & Burkham 2002) and that there exist large achievement differences on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) between students in the relatively disadvantaged inner city and the urban fringe (Shaughnessy, Nelson & Norris 1998). Given the relevance neighborhoods have to educational inequality they also are relevant to policy making, often provoking questions of tremendous import. To which environment (the institutional or the neighborhood) should resources be directed to achieve the greatest improvement in student outcomes? Should year-round schooling be offered in distressed areas to limit the exposure of children to environmental risks? Are urban relocation programs effective in increasing the educational opportunity of children and their success in school? These are only a few questions that require a sound understanding of the neighborhood‘s part in producing educational outcomes.

neighborhood, education, Social and Economic Inequality

Working Paper