School closure as spatial injustice¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 2 studies (2 associational), q2–q3 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The paper adopts the framing, attributed to Tieken and Auldridge-Reveles (2019), that closures concentrated in poor communities and communities of color constitute "spatial injustice." The injustice lies in closure decisions that "disrupt students' academic trajectories, weaken neighborhood cohesion, and perpetuate cycles of disadvantage." The framework situates closure decisions within historical patterns of racialized institutional loss rather than as purely administrative acts.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Applies to closure decisions analyzed in relation to the racial and economic composition of the communities they affect.

Constraints¶

• The paper notes limited evidence on whether these patterns persisted after the pandemic, which its own data then address.

Target Learners¶

• Students in schools facing permanent closure
• Students in high-poverty and majority-Black communities

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Continuity of academic trajectories and access to educational institutions during district restructuring

Claims¶

• Majority Black Schools Overrepresented Closures [+M]
• Racial Closure Disparity Holds Controlling Enrollment [+M]
• High-poverty schools are overrepresented among closed schools across the study period [+W]
• Turnaround schools generally served the same students after reform, except Closure and Restart schools, which shifted toward more advantaged, higher-achieving students [+W]

Related Theories¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Isaacs, J., Kuhfeld, M., Postell, S., & Hashim, A. (2025). Post-Pandemic School Closure Trends: Schools Serving Black Students Disproportionately Closed. NWEA White Paper. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/post-pandemic-school-closure-trends-schools-serving-black-students-disproportionately-closed/