The Perils of Hyper Fragmentation
Nearing the end of Tuesday’s first lecture on regional urban policy, Professor Eidelman superimposed a map of Chicagoland onto the slide, and asked what could be the problem with such a highly fragmented area? “Well, the education system would be quite stratified,” I answered. Indeed, Chicago has 306 public school districts! While I knew this to be true, and Professor Eidelman agreed with my response, I had yet to think quite deeply about the topic from a policy lens. Of course, this came from an area of privilege. Growing up in Canada, I had the privilege of being guaranteed a high quality education regardless of what postal code my family and I lived within or what school board my parents chose for me. Each child in Ontario is guaranteed this. Teachers are paid well and supported by a strong union, so when they show up to school, they feel empowered to teach well and help their students grow.
I soon remembered an article that I read about an Ohio mother who was arrested for lying about her zip code so that her daughters could go to school in a better district. The school district said that her daughters received a quality education without paying the taxes to fund it, and she was asked to pay back $30,000. It is clear that hyper fragmentation in the American context results in some populations being subjected to downright poor education, forcing some parents into unthinkable situations, like the aforementioned case. The New York Times wrote an opinion piece on how zip codes effect opportunities in terms of education, health, and career prospects, asking various teachers and students to comment on their experiences. One Atlanta high school math teacher had this to say on the topic: “I have taught many children that fought their way through and have gone on to do amazing things. Many wonderful, brilliant kids have come to my school. But those stories just happen less than the stories that would happen in the wealthy part of town. If you look at all the metrics, like test scores, high school graduation, college graduation, future employment — all of that just tracks worse for students in my ZIP code.”
We discussed the downsides to fragmentation in Canada, such as difficulties conceptualizing and establishing transit to connect large areas like the Toronto region, or the various public health units attempting to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. However, these challenges pale in comparison to the longterm disadvantages that come hand-in-hand with having a poorer quality education because of your family’s financial situation. While the intention of education is to socialize and equalize opportunities for the entire population, the attempt is futile when hindered by a 5-digit number.
