A MODEL FOR THE DETERMINATION OF SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AREAS UNDER SPECIFIED OBJECTIVES AND CONSTRAINTS.

THIS TECHNICAL NOTE, ONE OF A SERIES PUBLISHED ON THE URBAN EDUCATION MODEL, PRESENTS A MODEL FOR DETERMINING REQUIRED SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AREAS WHEN RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE RACIAL AND/OR SOCIAL COMPOSITION OF EACH SCHOOL PLANT. THESE ATTENDANCE AREAS ARE GENERATED IN A MANNER INSURING THE ASSIGNMENT OF STUDENTS WHICH MINIMIZES THE TOTAL "DISTANCE" TRAVELED BY ALL STUDENTS. THE METHODOLOGY ALLOWS FOR SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOL LOCATION DECISIONS, RACIAL AND SOCIAL COMPOSITIONS OF SCHOOLS, AND OBJECTIVES SUCH AS THE MINIMIZATION OF TOTAL STUDENT TRAVEL TIME. INPUTS REQUIRED TO CONDUCT SUCH ANALYSES INCLUDE THE EXISTING DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOL PLANTS, THE LOCATION OF PROPOSED PLANTS, AND THE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS DEFINED BY THEIR RACIAL, SOCIAL, AND AGE CHARACTERISTICS. THE ANALYSIS CONSISTS OF (1) THE DEFINITION OF THE PROPOSED AND EXISTING SCHOOL PLANT(S) BY LOCATION, AGE GROUP, AND CAPACITY, (2) DATA THAT DEFINE THE STUDENT POPULATION CROSS-CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO AREAL UNIT, RACIAL GROUP, SOCIAL CLASS, AND AGE GROUP, (3) PROPORTIONS OF RACIAL AND SOCIAL MIXES FOR THE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL PLANTS, (4) AN OBJECTIVE FUNCTION SUCH AS MINIMIZING THE TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED BY ALL STUDENTS, AND (5) SOLVING THE MODEL TO YIELD THE ASSIGNMENT OF STUDENTS TO SCHOOLS. EA 001 236 IS A RELATED DOCUMENT. (HW)