MTO Study: Neighborhood and School Outcomes for Low-Income Families

Five U.S. cities—Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York—are the focus of this data from the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) demonstration launched in 1994. The dataset, referenced by researcher Kadija S. Ferryman, examines the impact of moving families from distressed public housing to lower-poverty neighborhoods on children's access to schools and educational outcomes. It is based on a randomized controlled trial with families assigned to control, Section 8, and experimental groups.

Use Cases

• Causal inference modeling of neighborhood effects on educational outcomes based on random assignment to treatment groups.
• Policy impact analysis of housing subsidy programs like Section 8 on school access and student performance.
• Longitudinal study of family and child outcomes after relocation from high-poverty to lower-poverty areas.

Strengths

• Data originates from a randomized controlled trial, a gold standard for causal inference.
• Study was conducted across five major U.S. cities, providing a multi-site perspective.
• Program specifically targeted families in distressed public housing, a well-defined population.

Limitations

• Row count, column names, and file formats are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Moving to Opportunity for Fair Housing Demonstration.

Collection Method

Randomized controlled trial with voluntary participant families assigned to control, Section 8, or experimental groups.

Time Range

Program launched in 1994; early studies covered 1-3 years post-assignment.

Geography

Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, United States.