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Explore literacy and demographic data layers to study patterns, disparities, and resource distribution.
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Identify underserved areas and use the map as a data source for grant proposals, papers, and policy work.
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Visualize the relationship between community need and existing resources in one place.
Researcher
Guide
A Map Designed to Understand Our Communities Through Lived Experiences and Data
Background
Nashville’s literacy ecosystem, though vast and active, has rarely been organized into a single network. The Nashville Black Literacy Map assembles community resources and demographic and literacy context (including outcomes and inputs), granting researchers an understanding of where assets exist and how they relate to the communities they were designed to serve.
Collectively, this serves as a foundation for in-depth analysis and evidence-based, equity-driven policy and research design.
How You Can Use The GIS Map?
How To Use It
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The Map in Action
An example of how the map can be applied to your work!
Locate nearby resources and build a referral list of literacy support for families in need.
Find culturally relevant resources through mapped programs and community organizations, such as libraries and bookstores, and plan field trips to such sites.
Coordinate with nearby after-school and tutoring centers to reiterate what you teach in class and academic benchmarks.
Filter by the resource type and location.
Decide what category of resource you're looking for (food, mental health, tutoring, healthcare, housing, etc.) before searching. Then pick the right address to search around: your school's address for in-zone students, or potentially the student's home address for Out-of-Zone students.
A university research team is preparing a grant proposal to document the distribution of literacy resources across Nashville and their relationship to educational outcomes in specific regions. The visualized layers serve as a centerpiece of their proposal, providing funders with a data-driven understanding of community assets and gaps in opportunities.
Get Started!
→ Open the interactive NBLC Community map and search for a neighborhood: [map link]
→ Explore the available data tables or methodology documentation [resource sheet link]
→ Inquire about accessing the NBLC Research map or research partnerships with NBLC.