Districts considering school closures should provide substantial planning time, transition support for merging communities, and integration supports¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 2 studies (2 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Based on the study's mixed-methods findings, the report's interpretive considerations point districts toward adequate planning and community-merging support. Staff said the "planning process for merging closed schools into welcoming schools was not sufficient", the moving process was described as chaotic, and staff "wished for more support in merging closed and welcoming school communities". Investments in Safe Passage, technology, and resources were appreciated by students and staff.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Sufficient planning time before students arrive in welcoming schools
• Support for merging closed and welcoming school communities

Constraints¶

• The study did not address financial questions about the closings

Target Learners¶

• Students in closed and welcoming schools
• Staff in closed and welcoming schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• Continuity of student outcomes (attendance, mobility, GPA, test scores) during school transitions

Claims¶

• Staff in welcoming schools said the planning process for merging closed schools into welcoming schools was insufficient, leaving them unprepared [+W]
• School closures severed longstanding social connections, producing grief and us-vs-them dynamics, with increased student fights and bullying especially in the first transition year [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

• Safe Passage: Chicago's adult monitors along routes to the welcoming schools after the 2013 closings

Key Sources¶

• 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