A geodemographic analysis to assess variations in school performance based on educational achievement: A case study of Osaka city, Japan

Abstract

This article introduces geodemographic classification to examine the relationship between intra-urban spatial variations in educational achievements and residential characteristics, and to assess the substantial school performances considering the socioeconomic background in which the school is situated. The study focuses on Osaka City, where socioeconomic residential segregation can be seen relatively clearly. We used school-level average scores from the National Assessment of Academic Ability, 2013, as a measure of educational achievement. The key findings are as follows: First, there exists a spatial inequality in educational achievement that corresponds to the urban spatial structure of Osaka City. Second, there was a strong association between the types of neighborhoods where students live and the educational achievements of their schools. Third, distinctive disparities in educational achievements between types of neighborhoods were implied. Almost half of the variations in achievements among schools were accounted for by the differences in the neighborhood types within the individual school catchment areas. This suggests that in order to make a fair evaluation of school performances, it is essential to refer to the socioeconomic background in which the school is situated. Furthermore, substantial school effectiveness derives from the difference between the actual and expected achievements based on neighborhood types, and is greater at schools with higher levels of educational achievements. These findings suggest that geodemographics provides a useful way to not only describe the educational inequalities between neighborhoods and social groups but to also identify policy targets aimed at reducing the inequalities from a spatial justice perspective.