School closures had no effect on absences or suspension rates for affected students¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 2 studies · 2 causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Absences and suspension rates of students affected by closures showed trends similar to comparison students after the merger; the suspension decline difference was not significant. → Gordon 2018

q3 i? There was no effect on absence or suspension rates for students in closed or welcoming schools, compared to students from similar schools. → Molly F. Gordon 2017

Evidence¶

Gordon 2018¶

Gordon, M.F., de la Torre, M., Cowhy, J.R., Moore, P.T., Sartain, L.S., & Knight, D. (2018). School closings in Chicago: Staff and student experiences and academic outcomes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/school-closings-chicago-staff-and-student-experiences-and-academic-outcomes

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Administrative-data comparison of days absent and suspension rates for affected versus similar unaffected students. The report finds closures "did not affect the attendance rates" and that the slightly more pronounced suspension decline for closed-school students showed differences that were not significant.

"Consequently, school closures did not affect the attendance rates of these students because absences changed at similar rates districtwide."

Molly F. Gordon 2017¶

Molly F. Gordon, Marisa de la Torre, Jennifer R. Cowhy, Paul T. Moore, Lauren Sartain, and David Knight. (2017). School Closings in Chicago: Staff and Student Experiences and Academic Outcomes. UChicago Consortium Research Report. http://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/school-closings-chicago-staff-and-student-experiences-and-academic-outcomes

q3 · i? · causal · r?

Quantitative analysis of administrative data comparing closed and welcoming school students' attendance and suspension outcomes after the closings to their prior outcomes and to students in similar schools. No effect size is printed, so no magnitude is reported.

"There was no effect on absence or suspension rates for students in closed or welcoming schools."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• In Maryland, disciplinary removals (out-of-school suspensions and expulsions) declined over the past 10 years while discipline disparities persisted — related
• Core GPA was not affected immediately after closures, but students from closed schools showed small negative effects in years three and four, more pronounced for students in grades 3-5 at announcement — related
• Welcoming-school students transferred out at higher-than-expected rates just before the merger, driven exclusively by the 14 welcoming schools that had to relocate into closed-school buildings — related
• Test scores of students in both closed and welcoming schools were negatively affected, with closed-school students showing the largest negative effect — related
• Welcoming-school students whose schools relocated into closed-school buildings transferred out at higher rates in the merger year; closures did not affect mobility in later years — related