ImpactTulsa’s Child Equity Index

ImpactTulsa is a collective impact organization in the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network that works with local partners in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area to advance more equitable outcomes. The Child Equity Index, a data tool developed by ImpactTulsa in partnership with Tulsa Public Schools, helps partners better understand the landscape of opportunity and access in the Tulsa area. The index uses more than 40 indicators to measure environmental conditions across six domains of influence: 

• Student-level factors
• Neighborhood health
• Neighborhood socioeconomic status
• Neighborhood safety
• Neighborhood pride and custodianship
• Neighborhood access

The index uses "place-based" measures to assess neighborhood environments, defined using census tract and zip code geographic boundaries. It assesses how neighborhood factors--such as housing affordability, healthcare access, poverty rates, crime rates, unemployment rates--collectively impact student outcomes. With this information, policymakers, school leaders, and district leaders can bridge opportunity gaps and support economic mobility for disadvantaged youth. 

Findings from the Child Equity Index have sparked conversations about the geography of opportunity in Tulsa and have translated into action for students and families. For example, when internet access maps by census tract revealed inequities, local school districts adjusted their remote learning strategies, and their partners launched a City of Tulsa Internet Access Taskforce. 

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