crdc-demo/README.md

# CRDC Arrests API Demo

A demonstration web application for the [CRDC School Arrest Rate API](https://crdc-api.civilytics.org/api/v1/), showing Bayesian model comparisons of school-based arrest rates across U.S. districts. Built with React + Vite, deployable as a static site or Docker container.

## Quick Start (Development)

```bash
# Install dependencies
npm ci

# Start dev server on localhost:5173
npm run dev

# Build for production
npm run build      # outputs to dist/
npm run preview    # serve built files locally
```

## What It Does

Visitors select a U.S. state, search for a school district (with suggestions of districts that have the most arrests), and see 6 charts comparing observed data against Bayesian model estimates:

1. **Arrests over time** — raw counts by CRDC wave with per-1k rate labels
2. **Rate by student group** — bar chart, most recent year (observed vs. modeled)
3. **District vs. national** — highest-rate group compared to the U.S. average
4. **Model predictions vs. observed** — four quadrants (one-year/three-year × baseline/covariate)
5. **Observed rate vs. model distribution** — ridgeline-style comparison across models
6. **Exceedance probability** — P(district > national) per student group

## Architecture

### Tech Stack
- **React 19** + **Vite** (static site generation, no backend required)
- Plain CSS custom properties for styling (matches Civilytics design tokens exactly)
- SVG-based charts rendered inline (no D3 or charting library dependencies)
- Calls the public read-only API directly from the browser

### File Structure
```
crdc-demo/
├── index.html                    # Entry point
├── vite.config.mjs               # Vite build config
├── src/
│   ├── main.jsx                  # React entry
│   ├── App.jsx                   # Main router (state → search → loading → charts)
│   ├── hooks/useApi.js           # API client with retry/backoff + endpoint wrappers
│   ├── components/
│   │   ├── StateSelector.jsx     # Landing screen — state dropdown/grid
│   │   ├── DistrictSearch.jsx    # Search + "interesting" district suggestions
│   │   ├── LoadingAnimation.jsx  # Animated histogram grid during data fetch
│   │   └── ChartPanel.jsx        # Orchestrates all 6 charts + data fetching
│   ├── charts/
│   │   ├── ArrestsOverTime.jsx       # Chart 1 — line chart by wave
│   │   ├── RateByGroupBar.jsx        # Chart 2 — bar chart by group
│   │   ├── DistrictVsNational.jsx    # Chart 3 — comparison vs. national avg
│   │   ├── ModelDrawsComparison.jsx  # Chart 4 — quadrant model comparison
│   │   ├── ObservedRateDensity.jsx   # Chart 5 — ridgeline proxy from intervals
│   │   └── ExceedanceProbability.jsx # Chart 6 — P(district > nat) per group
│   ├── styles/tokens.css          # Civilytics design tokens (colors, fonts, spacing)
│   └── data/national_rates.json    # Static national rates fixture for comparisons
├── Dockerfile                    # Multi-stage build → nginx static server
├── docker-compose.yml            # Local dev / self-hosted deployment
├── _config.yml                   # Git Pages (self-hosted equivalent) config
└── .github/workflows/deploy.yml  # CI/CD — builds and uploads artifacts
```

### API Endpoints Used
| Endpoint | Purpose | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| `/api/v1/models` | List available Bayesian model specs | Once (cached) |
| `/api/v1/districts?q=&state=` | District name/geo lookup → LEAID | On keystroke |
| `/api/v1/estimates/{leaid}?model=X&year=Y` | Estimates for one district/model/year/group | ~40 calls per district |
| `/data/national_rates.json` | Static national rates fixture (committed) | Once per session |

## Deployment

### Option A: Git Pages (self-hosted equivalent — recommended)
The app is a static site. Upload the `dist/` directory to your self-hosted Git Pages server after building:

```bash
npm run build    # produces dist/
# Upload dist/ contents to your git-pages host
```

For CI/CD, see `.github/workflows/deploy.yml` which builds and uploads artifacts automatically on push to `main`.

### Option B: Docker (self-hosted fleet)
Build and run the nginx container on your infrastructure (`efron`, `maxwell`, etc.):

```bash
docker compose up -d    # builds + serves on localhost:8080

# Or build manually for your registry:
docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64 -t registry.civilytics.org/crdc-demo:latest .
docker push registry.civilytics.org/crdc-demo:latest
```

The container is ~5MB (nginx Alpine) and serves static files with immutable cache headers. A `/healthz` endpoint supports container orchestration health checks.

### Environment Variables
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `VITE_API_BASE` | `https://crdc-api.civilytics.org/api/v1` | Override to point at a staging API (set in Dockerfile build or docker-compose) |

## Visual Design

This app follows the Civilytics visual identity as defined in:
- `theme/_tokens.scss` — colors, typography, spacing tokens
- `social_media_posts.md` — chart patterns from published social media figures
- `white_paper.qmd` / `R/paper_figures.R` — white paper figure builders

Key design decisions:
- **Color palette**: Warm paper background (`#FAF7F2`), civic navy text (`#0E1A2B`), ember accent (`#C25311`)
- **Data viz colors**: Teal, plum, moss, brass from the supporting palette
- **Fonts**: Libre Franklin/Inter for display and body, JetBrains Mono for code
- **Chart patterns**: Pointrange comparisons (model vs. observed), ridgeline-style density bars, faceted small multiples

## Citation & Attribution

The CRDC School Arrest Rate API: Knowles, J.E., & Miller, H. (2025). *CRDC School Arrest Rate API v1*. Civilytics Consulting. https://crdc-api.civilytics.org/api/v1/

Data source: US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. Civil Rights Data Collection (2021-22).

This research was supported by a grant from the American Educational Research Association which receives funds for its "AERA Grants Program" from the National Science Foundation under NSF award NSF-DRL #1749275. Opinions reflect those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those AERA or NSF.