US Education & Connectivity Research
Exploring the relationship between digital connectivity and educational assessment outcomes across the United States.
Introduction
This dashboard explores the relationship between broadband access (FCC Form 477) and educational outcomes (Stanford SEDA test scores) across US counties. We aim to:
- Identify correlations between connectivity and student achievement.
- Examine variations across different demographic groups.
- Provide interactive tools for exploring these connections.
What You Can Explore
Use the interactive tools to investigate:
- The Big Picture: We'll start by examining national trends in connectivity and student performance over time.
- Geographic & Demographic Drill-Down: Then, you can explore how these patterns vary by state, county, and different student groups.
- Connectivity vs. Performance: Next, we'll look directly at how internet access correlates with test scores using specific filters.
- Underlying Data: You can also view a sample of the data that powers these visualizations.
Discover patterns and draw your own conclusions as you navigate through the dashboard.
Understanding the Underlying Data [sources]
To provide transparency and context for the visualizations, here is a random sample of 10 rows from the dataset. This illustrates the types of fields used in the analysis, including state, county, year, subject, grade level, total connections, and assessment scores.
| State | County | Year | Subject | Grade Level | Total Connections | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading sample data... | ||||||
The National Picture: Trends Over Time
Before diving into specific geographic areas, let's look at the national trends. How have internet connectivity and student assessment scores changed over the years across the US? These broad patterns can provide context for more detailed explorations.
Total Connections Over Time [source]
This graph shows the trend of total fixed internet connections across all reporting counties over the years.
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Overall, total fixed internet connections across reporting counties increased between 2009 and 2019. However, the trend shows a sharp decline around 2014, followed by a period of recovery and further growth. Further investigation would be needed to understand the cause of the 2014 anomaly. This national connectivity trend provides an important backdrop as we next consider how educational outcomes have evolved over a similar timeframe.
Mean Scores Over Time (Math vs. Language) [source]
This graph shows the trend of average assessment scores for Math and Language subjects over the years.
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Average assessment scores for both Math and Language generally improved from 2009 to 2013. After peaking around 2013, Math scores saw a notable decline before leveling off. Language scores peaked slightly later and declined more gradually. The differing trajectories after 2013 suggest potential shifts in educational focus or external factors influencing performance differently across subjects. With these national-level educational trends observed, the next step is to explore how these patterns manifest across different states, counties, and demographic groups.
Exploring Geographic & Demographic Variations [sources]
Having seen the national trends, now you can delve into regional and local details. Use the interactive map and filters below to investigate how digital connectivity and educational outcomes vary by state and county. You can explore data for different subjects, grade levels, years, and demographic groups to uncover specific patterns and potential disparities.
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Use the filters to identify areas where internet access and test performance align or diverge, considering specific demographic factors. These insights can support targeted outreach, funding allocation, and program design in underserved areas. As you explore, consider the relationships you observe; the next section provides a dedicated view to analyze these correlations more directly.
Is There a Correlation? [sources]
This scatter plot visualizes the general relationship between average county internet connections and mean assessment scores. It displays aggregated data across all subjects and grades, for the application's default year (typically the most recent full year of data available), and the 'All Students' demographic. This provides a broad overview of potential correlations, independent of the specific filters you might apply in the 'Geographic Explorer' tab.
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Observe potential trends or correlations. For example, do counties with higher connectivity generally show higher (or lower) assessment scores? The relationship may vary based on the selected demographic, subject, or grade. Consider whether these correlations are consistent with the national trends you saw earlier, or if they reveal more nuanced local stories.
Project Background & User Research
The development of this dashboard was informed by discussions with potential users. This section shares insights from that research, highlighting how such a tool can be valuable and what features users find important.
Interview 1: Dr. Ariel Han
Faculty Member & Researcher (HCI, Learning Sciences, EdTech), USC Iovine and Young Academy
Key Feedback & Insights
- Interface feels familiar, resembling curated research datasets.
- Expressed positive anticipation for the planned geographic visualization features.
- Recommendation: Enhance flexibility by allowing users to define their own correlation queries (select variables) instead of being limited to pre-set options.
- Background: Experienced with quantitative analysis, uses LLMs for visualization, familiar with data platforms.
Identified Use Case
- Supporting initiatives for rural, underconnected communities (e.g., computational thinking education).
- Geographic visualization is seen as ideal for identifying target areas for outreach and resource allocation in such projects.
Potential Actions & Next Steps
- Prioritize implementing user-selectable variables for correlation analysis.
- Highlight geographic features in documentation/marketing for outreach use cases.
- Consider outreach to professionals in EdTech, public service, and rural development.
Overall Conclusion: Dr. Han recognizes the tool's strong potential, especially its geographic capabilities. Implementing user-defined queries is a key suggestion to significantly boost flexibility and relevance for academic research and social impact applications.
User Q&A 1: Oliver Hime
Student of Computer Science and Economics, Yale University
Feedback:
- Appreciated the dashboard's visual appeal and clarity of purpose.
- Felt that "the wording in the introduction section could be slightly larger and more concise."
- Found navigation intuitive but noted the current order of sections wasn't ideal.
- Stated he "found the first datable output table quite unnecessary, especially appearing so early on, and confusing."
- Live data visualization was the most compelling feature; suggested it "should be higher on the page."
- Praised usability of filters and map's responsiveness.
- Criticized how filters for assessment score still appeared when browsing connectivity.
- Preferred forward/back buttons on the map over a reset button, wanting to "pop in and out of states more easily."
- Rated design 8/10, citing clean and simple design, but tool order detracted.
- Key suggestion: Reorder tools, making the interactive map higher.
- Did not test on a mobile device.
User Q&A 2: Nathan Kwan
Student of Math and Economics, University of Southern California
Feedback:
- Found the dashboard's purpose clear, appreciating the concise introduction.
- Single-page layout generally intuitive; suggested a "sticky navigation menu" to enhance user experience.
- Praised usability of interactive elements, especially filters, making research "really targeted."
- Mentioned the 'Datatable Output' section seemed somewhat redundant.
- Rated design 8.5/10, appreciated clean design and logical flow.
- Key suggestion: Implement a sticky navigation bar.
- Tested on a mobile device: layout adjusted well, but map was "more fiddly."
- Emphasized potential for researchers/policymakers; suggested downloadable reports/data export.
User Q&A 3: Aloysius Wong
Student of Computer Science, University of Southern California
Feedback:
- Appreciated the relevance of the topic and effective introduction.
- Navigation mostly intuitive; suggested a clearer, interactive table of contents.
- Found map user-friendly but recommended only showing filters when on the assessment score section.
- Pointed out 'Connections Over Time' and 'Mean Scores Over Time' graphs could be side by side or "combined to show any correlations," feeling they were underutilized.
- Rated design 7.5/10; appreciated visual design but felt tweaks were needed (filters, combining graphs, site navigation).
- Key suggestion: "Improving the UI so to create a visual hierarchy," with the map higher and other elements smaller/lower.
- Did not test on a mobile device.
- Highlighted potential as an educational/research resource; praised clear data citation.
Consolidated Action Items:
Layout & Navigation
- Move interactive map higher on the page.
- Remove or relocate the Datatable Output section.
- Add a sticky nav bar or interactive table of contents.
Tool Usability
- Show filters only when relevant (e.g., hide assessment filters during connectivity view).
- Add forward/back buttons on the map for easier navigation.
- Combine or align time-based graphs to show correlations.
Design Tweaks
- Make intro text larger and more concise.
- Strengthen visual hierarchy – highlight key tools, reduce prominence of lesser elements.
Extra Features
- Enable data export/download functionality.