Running Late: Student Commutes and High School Tardiness in Baltimore City

In this study, we use estimated public transit routes for high school students in Baltimore City to predict the number of days they are late during the school year. We find that after adjusting for individual and school characteristics, school preferences, and neighborhood fixed effects, total trave...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEducational researcher Vol. 53; no. 7; pp. 412 - 419
Main Authors Burdick-Will, Julia, Stein, Marc L.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington American Educational Research Association 01.10.2024
Subjects
Secondary school students
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Summary:In this study, we use estimated public transit routes for high school students in Baltimore City to predict the number of days they are late during the school year. We find that after adjusting for individual and school characteristics, school preferences, and neighborhood fixed effects, total travel time and transit use are not predictive of tardiness, but requiring a bus transfer is. These estimates do not vary by student or school characteristics, indicating that this is a general phenomenon that has more to do with system-level reliability than individual motivation or school climate. These findings highlight the hidden costs imposed on some students who wish to leave their neighborhood and travel across town for better educational opportunities.
ISSN:0013-189X
1935-102X
DOI:10.3102/0013189X241256963