The New Wave of School Closures

Neighborhood public schools should provide community control and self-determination, but too many Black communities already impacted by racist disinvestment are losing these key pathways to democracy. Two decades ago, No Child Left Behind and other high stakes policies set forth mass closures of neighborhood public schools, overwhelmingly in Black low-income communities. Closures largely harmed students and rarely saved districts money, yet we are on the precipice of a new era of mass closures, once again largely in Black low-income communities, but this time set off by an unprecedented expansion of school privatization laws that starve local public schools of resources. This session will educate participants on this new wave of school closures, signs that closures may be looming in a district, and strategies for defending against them.

Presenters: 

Laura Petty

Jessica Alcantara

Ronsha Dickerson

Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari

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