The Geography of Education and Educational Planning.

Overview & Synopsis

The geography of education is a field which is generally neglected by geographers, despite the large number involved in education. This paper offers a conceptual framework for such studies emphasizing educational planning. Within the area of human geography are at least three possibilities for the geography of education: the geographical examination of factors underlying education, the examination of the spatial patterns of educational phenomena, and the role of education as a factor influencing the geographical patterns of other social and cultural phenomena. Though some work has been done in the first area by non-geographers, more could be done to relate the physical and human environment to educational phenomena. Analysis of spatial patterns of educational phenomena has just begun. Patterning of education values, attitudes, and opportunities could produce valuable planning data. In the third area, research indicates that education effects human perception of the environment, which ultimately shapes that environment. There are vast implications here for economic considerations in educational planning. This conceptual outline should help to stimulate interest in the geography of education and educational planning. (References are appended.) (JH)