A study conducted in Montgomery County, MD, demonstrates that economically inclusive housing policies can dramatically lift the academic performance of low income students and narrow the achievement gap between them and their more affluent peers. This finding further supports the centrality of housing to all areas of family well-being, a key principle of the Opportunity Starts at Home multi-sector affordable housing campaign.
Montgomery County has one of the strongest, well-regarded school systems in the country. The study’s author, Dr. Heather Schwartz, points out, however, something is often not known about Montgomery County: that is has implemented a comprehensive inclusionary housing program for several decades that has had an impact on education. Private-sector housing developers across the county must set-aside a percentage of apartment homes to be sold at below-market rates. A unique feature of the program is that housing authorities can purchase some of these housing units and operate them as federally subsidized housing.
Through a randomized lottery, low income families were selected to live in these units. Dr. Schwartz compared the educational performance of children living in public housing in low-poverty neighborhoods (children who therefore attended lower-poverty schools with more affluent peers) to children living in public housing in higher-poverty neighborhoods (children who therefore attended higher-poverty schools with less affluent peers). She found that, over a period of five to seven years, public housing students attending lower-poverty schools significantly outperformed public housing students attending higher-poverty schools. In fact, public housing students attending the lower-poverty schools narrowed the achievement gap with their wealthier peers by half in math and one-third in reading.
Moreover, the school district was infusing the higher-poverty schools with $2,000 more per pupil than the lower-poverty schools. But public housing students still performed better in the lower-poverty schools, suggesting that inclusive affordable housing policies can have a more pronounced effect on students than adding school-based resources. This study corroborates decades of research showing that integrated schools are strong learning environments.
Not only did low-income students in the study benefit from economically integrative housing and schooling, but they also benefitted from the increased residential stability that deeply affordable housing provides. “Their residential stability was a crucial aspect that allowed their children to reap the long run benefits of attending low-poverty schools,” Dr. Schwartz wrote.
To take a deep dive into this study, check out the Opportunity Starts at Home multi-sector campaign’s podcast: Episode 3 features an interview with Dr. Schwartz.
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