ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we apply QuantCrit to critical race spatial analysis (CRSA) to explore the sociospatial dimensions of Chicanx baccalaureate attainment. QuantCrit argues that quantitative approaches must be interrogated for how they are (mis)applied and (mis)interpreted to (mis)characterize Communities of Color, particularly within education. CRSA provides educational researchers important methodological and conceptual considerations for exploring, analyzing, and visualizing the sociospatial role of race and racism in the educational trajectories of Communities of Color. Grounded in the analysis that critical race theory (CRT) provides, both QuantCrit and CRSA are as much political projects as they are theoretical and methodological ones. Both approaches engage every aspect and step of the research process—from the formulation of questions to the selection of appropriate literature, to the identification of data sources, to the application of statistical tools, to the analysis and dissemination of findings—as an anti-racist endeavor. We offer five guiding principles that apply QuantCrit to CRSA to deepen quantitative considerations in geospatial educational research. We provide an empirical case study that utilizes recent U.S. Census data and geographic information systems (GIS) to examine the Chicanx educational pipeline. We conclude by offering implications and future directions for quantitative scholarship interested in furthering racial and spatial justice.
