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Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Spatial Statistics to Support the Education to Workforce Pipeline and Address Inequities (309729)

*Caitlin Deal, American Institutes for Research 
Chad Henry, American Institutes for Research 
Roderick Jones, The Kentucky Community and Technical College System Foundation, Inc.  
Trent Sharp, American Institutes for Research 
Hanlun Song, American Institutes for Research 

Keywords: GIS, spatial, data visualization, education, workforce

Where students live, attend school, and work has an impact on their life outcomes (Tate, 2008). These place effects – the advantages and disadvantages that one inherits by simply living in a particular location – are the result of unequal access to resources and opportunities across multiple sectors, such as education, health care, food, housing, transportation, and employment (Anyon, 2014).

To better understand inequities from place effects, the GIS team at American Institutes for Research (AIR) works with state education agencies to compile data across multiple sectors and visualize it in interactive map-based applications, dashboards, or story maps. Modeling and analyses are used to discover spatial insights.

The goal of AIR’s GIS work is to ensure success for all students and guarantee they have the necessary skills and knowledge for the workforce. In order to do that, the current education systems must align with future workforce needs. This paper focuses on AIR’s work with the state of Kentucky and their education to workforce pipeline.

In 2020, AIR and The Kentucky Community and Technical College System Foundation, Inc. (KCTCS Foundation) began work on a GIS application focused on closing workforce gaps. After defining the need and context, the KCTCS team developed statistical models and the AIR team developed maps and map layers that were presented in an interactive, web-based application. Through a facilitated process, we reviewed these maps with key stakeholders to identify adjustments to the models or additional data that would provide critical insights. This iterative process helped establish the right layers and models needed to support decision making in key areas such as unemployment hotspots and gaps in the education-to-workforce pipeline.

To do this, AIR created a customizable map-based application using React, ArcGIS API for JavaScript, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and python, and hosted the application on AWS S3 and ArcGIS Online.