Orhun KAPTAN

Zwolle
The research project in Zwolle focuses on the characteristics of neighborhoods and schools, examining the impact of urban affordances on differences in academic performance and the quality of education. In the first phase of this mixed-methods project, a study was conducted using data from 42 schools in 26 neighborhoods in Zwolle.

Zwolle

In the quantitative part of the research, data on neighborhoods and schools were collected from the websites https://scholenopdekaart.nl/ and https://allecijfers.nl/, resulting in two datasets. The dependent variables of the study are the basic level and target level pass rates of the schools. Urban functions in the neighborhoods were analyzed using 25 indicators, categorized into six groups: economy, safety, health, demographics, education, and energy consumption. Data on schools were measured based on teacher employment types, the percentage of repeaters, student flow to different types of secondary education, the proportion of part-time teaching staff, and the total number of students per school.

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The quantitative study showed that differences in basic level academic performance among schools are associated with the percentage of migrants in the neighborhood relative to the total neighborhood population and the percentage of students transitioning to vocational and technical education. When the share of migrants in a neighborhood is high, the basic level academic performance of schools tends to decline. Similarly, schools with a high percentage of students transitioning to vocational and technical education tend to exhibit lower basic level academic performance. However, when neighborhood and school characteristics were jointly assessed, the percentage of students transitioning to vocational and technical education lost its statistical significance.

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We found that differences in target level academic performance are linked to the number of homes, the number of businesses, and the percentage of middle-educated residents aged 15 to 65 in the neighborhoods. Regarding school characteristics, these differences are again related to the percentage of students transitioning to vocational and technical education and the percentage of repeaters. However, when neighborhood and school characteristics were analyzed together, only the number of households and businesses remained significant indicators. This means that in a neighborhood with more households, the number of students achieving the target level is expected to be lower, while in a neighborhood with more businesses, the number of students achieving the target level is expected to be higher.

This situation led us to consider the following: In Zwolle, it is possible that some neighborhoods are busier than others, that living costs in these neighborhoods are relatively lower, and that students from disadvantaged groups have settled in these areas. This settlement pattern leads to differences in achieving basic level academic performance between schools, even though the effect is not particularly large.

The research also shows that there is a population shift between some neighborhoods. This is described in the literature as gentrification, a process where low-income families are forced to move to more affordable areas. However, this results in a concentration of poverty in certain areas.

What’s next?
We now know the characteristics of the neighborhoods and schools. In the next phase, we will visit the schools and conduct interviews with school leaders, teachers, and parents of students. We aim to hear how they experience the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and student performance levels. While statistics can tell us a lot, they can sometimes be misleading. That’s why we want to see the relationship between the data from our quantitative analyses and academic performance firsthand and understand how this relationship takes shape.

Additionally, we want to observe schools, study educational initiatives, gather best practices, and investigate the strategies schools use to promote equity on-site. The goal is to share these practices, strategies, and policies more widely.