Mapping Equity: HB3 and Compensatory Education for Vulnerable Communities Across Texas

Keywords: School Finance, Texas, Colonias, School Districts, Education, Low-Socioeconomic students, Compensatory Education
Abstract Type: Virtual Paper Abstract

Abstract

Racial and ethnic inequalities in student outcomes proliferate across the Texas school finance system and often disadvantage low-socioeconomic areas the most. Looking at the intersection of residence, socioeconomic status, and education, this paper seeks to understand how colonias are impacted by recent and substantial school finance reforms adopted in Texas -HB3. This paper brings forward compensatory education funding and dual language programs to analyze the impact on English Language Learners, low-socioeconomic students, and colonia residents. I draw comparisons between low-poverty and high-poverty school district’s distribution of compensatory funding for these student populations and focus on colonias as a geographic area of interest. Colonias are defined as substandard housing developments that are within 150 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border (SOS, 2014). These communities have created clusters of low-income individuals, predominately Mexican American, that have limited means of socioeconomic movement and limited governmental support. This paper aims to create a colonia serving school profile to establish the type of schools that are serving colonia students. To create these colonia serving school profiles, I used spatial data available through numerous agencies including the NCES and the U.S. Census to identify at the census block level, whether the block falls within a colonia and then tag its school district. While this project is in its preliminary stages, it addresses critical gaps in the literature regarding Texas school finance and vulnerable student populations. This work, including the comprehensive directory of colonia-serving schools, will provide valuable insights that can be utilized by researchers and practitioners alike.