How Transportation can Support Educational Equity

Want to increase school attendance and educational outcomes? Newer, cleaner buses are part of the answer! Check out this research. SPOILER ALERT: "Results reflect the fact that when kids are riding buses with less pollution, their health is better which leads to them missing less school and learning more in their classes." "Our study found that among districts randomly selected by the EPA to receive funding to replace the oldest, dirtiest, buses (pre-1990) with newer, cleaner buses, educational performance improved after the new buses were in use... We found that districts selected for the EPA funding that replaced the oldest, pre-1990, model-year buses had, on average, a 0.06 SD higher reading/language arts and 0.03 SD higher math average test scores in the year after the EPA funding lottery as compared to districts not selected for funding. For context, these results are equivalent in magnitude to average district income increasing by 10% and 4% for the reading/language arts and math subjects, respectively. The magnitude of the reading/language arts impact was also roughly equivalent to 25%-30% of the observed effect on test scores for a reduction in class size of 7-10 students. There was little improvement observed for applicants that replaced model year 1990 and newer buses." https://lnkd.in/ggc8FP-z #waleg #electricbuses #schoolabsences #educationaloutcomes

Freddie Mercury fans, please appreciate the reference when I write today about the 'bicycle, bicycle, bicycle.'   Arguably one of the simplest modes of transport, requiring no fuel, limited energy, and low in cost, the bicycle is a key contributor to universal health and education, which UNICEF strongly supports.   Especially in the most remote locations in developing countries, the bicycle enables people to overcome the barriers that long distances pose in accessing health facilities and schools.   In Bangladesh and Congo, for example, health workers have used this vehicle to transport vaccines to isolated villages, while keeping the vaccines cool and potent in cold boxes.   In Mozambique and Zimbabwe, the bicycle has allowed village health workers to efficiently reach scattered communities and conduct home visits, to ensure that families are following proper hygiene practices and storing drinking water safely.   In Ghana and Niger, girls and boys have been able to continue their secondary education through biking, which circumvents the alternative journey of walking to and from school for hours. To back this, UNICEF donated 6,000 bicycles to girls in rural Ghanaian regions in recent years.   Finally, a bicycle is good for our health in general. It has been great seeing the introduction of bike lanes across major cities, as a sustainable and clean mode of transport. I am a keen bicycle user (yes, even in the chaotic streets of Manhattan), and I am proud that UNICEF's promotion of this vehicle is improving health and education outcomes for people worldwide.

This important new resolution supports global economic stability, maternal health and prosperity by addressing the pressing issue of women’s education and its effects on poverty. What's missing is a specific mention of the critical issue of access to education, particularly in rural areas, where girls face very long distances to school, leading to high absenteeism, and leaving them vulnerable to sexual abuse. Rigorous evidence shows bicycles have an important role to play. With a bicycle girls are 19% less likely to drop out of school, have 28% lower absenteeism, and report feeling safer and more empowered. We call on governments to increase investment in mobility to improve educational outcomes needed to reduce poverty. https://lnkd.in/dmBmYSJ2 https://lnkd.in/eUyDnusB