You are here:

The effects of closing urban schools on students’ academic and behavioral outcomes: Evidence from Philadelphia
ARTICLE

, Assistant Professor of Education, Graduate School of Education ; , Professor of Criminology and Sociology, Department of Criminology

Economics of Education Review Volume 69, Number 1, ISSN 0272-7757 Publisher: Elsevier Ltd

Abstract

Urban districts throughout the country are increasingly closing schools in response to declining enrollment and academic underperformance. We estimate the impact of public school closings in Philadelphia on student achievement and behavioral outcomes. While school closures had no effect on the average achievement of displaced students, achievement increased among displaced students attending higher-performing schools following closure. The achievement of students attending receiving-schools, however, was negatively affected by the receipt of displaced students. School absences increased significantly for displaced students following closure. We also find that the achievement of displaced and receiving-school students declined as the fraction of displaced students attending a receiving-school increased, and displaced students missed more days of school and received more suspension days the farther they traveled to their new school following closure. These findings suggest that the academic and behavioral consequences of closing urban schools depend on the school settings displaced and receiving-school students experience in the wake of closures.

Citation

Steinberg, M.P. & MacDonald, J.M. (2019). The effects of closing urban schools on students’ academic and behavioral outcomes: Evidence from Philadelphia. Economics of Education Review, 69(1), 25-60. Elsevier Ltd. Retrieved September 22, 2023 from .

This record was imported from Economics of Education Review on March 15, 2019. Economics of Education Review is a publication of Elsevier.

Full text is availabe on Science Direct: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2018.12.005

Keywords

References

View References & Citations Map
  1. Baker, M.L., Sigmon, J.N., & Elaine Nugent, M. (2001). Truancy reduction: keeping students in school. Washington D.C.: Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
  2. Bradshaw, C.P., Sawyer, A.L., & O'Brennan, L.M. (2009). A social disorganization perspective on bullying-related attitudes and behaviors: The influence of school context. American Journal of Community Psychology, 43, pp. 204-220.
  3. Bross, W., Harris, D.N., & Liu, L. (2016). The effects of performance-based school closure and charter takeover on student performance. New Orleans: Education Research Alliance for New Orleans.
  4. Brummet, Q. (2014). The effect of school closings on student achievement. Journal of Public Economics, 119, pp. 108-124.
  5. Carlson, D., & Lavertu, S. (2015). School closures and student achievement: an analysis of ohio's urban district and charter schools. Columbus, OH: Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
  6. Carlson, D., & Lavertu, S. (2016). Charter school closure and student achievement: Evidence from Ohio. Journal of Urban Economics, 95, pp. 31-48.
  7. de la Torre, M., & Gwynne, J. (2009). When schools close: effects on displaced students in chicago public schools. Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research.
  8. de la Torre, M., Gordon, M.F., Moore, P., & Cowhy, J. (2015). School closings in Chicago: understanding families’ choices and constraints for new school enrollment. Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research.
  9. Ehlert, M., Koedel, C., Parsons, E., & Podgursky, M. (2012). Selecting growth measures for school and teacher evaluations. Washington D.C.: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER).
  10. Engberg, J., Gill, B., Zamarro, G., & Zimmer, R. (2012). Closing schools in a shrinking district: Do student outcomes depend on which schools are closed. Journal of Urban Economics, 71(2), pp. 189-203.
  11. Engec, N. (2006). Relationship between mobility and student performance and behavior. The Journal of Educational Research, 99(3), pp. 167-178.
  12. Gordon, M.F., de la Toree, M., Cowhy, J.R., Moore, P.T., Sartain, L., & Knight, D. (2018). School closings in Chicago: staff and student experiences and academic outcomes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research.
  13. Hanushek, E.A., Kain, J.F., & Rivkin, S.G. (2004). Disruption versus Tiebout improvement: The costs and benefits of changing schools. Journal of Public Economics, 88, pp. 1721-1746.
  14. Jacobson, L.S., LaLonde, R.J., & Sullivan, D.G. (1993). Earnings losses of displaced workers. The American Economic Review, 83(4), pp. 685-709.
  15. Kemple, J. (2015). High school closures in new york City: impacts on students’ academic outcomes, attendance, and mobility. New York: The Research Alliance for New York City Schools.
  16. Kirshner, B., Gaertner, M., & Pozzoboni, K. (2010). Tracing transitions: The effect of high school closure on displaced students. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 32(3), pp. 407-429.
  17. Lacoe, J.R. (2015). Unequally safe: The race gap in school safety. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 13(2), pp. 143-168.
  18. Ozek, U., Hansen, M., & Gonzalez, T. (2012). A leg up or a boot out? Student achievement and mobility under school restricting. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research.
  19. Raudenbush, S., Jean, M., & Art, E. (2011). Year-by-year cumulative impacts of attending a high-mobility elementary school on children's mathematics achievement in Chicago, 1995–2005. Whither opportunity? Rising inequality, schools, and children's life chances, pp. 359-375. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
  20. Rausch, M.K., & Skiba, R.J. (2006). The academic cost of discipline: the relationship between suspension/expulsion and school achievement. Bloomington, IN: Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, Indiana University.
  21. Rich, M. (2012). Suspensions are higher for disabled students, federal data indicate. New York City: The New York Times.
  22. Rumberger, R.W. (2003). The causes and consequences of student mobility. The Journal of Negro Education, 72(1), pp. 6-21.
  23. Simpson, G.A., & Fowler, M.G. (1994). Geographic mobility and children's emotional/behavioral adjustments and school functioning. Pediatrics, 93(2), pp. 303-309.
  24. Steinberg, M., & Donaldson, M. (2016). The new educational accountability: Understanding the landscape of teacher evaluation in the post-NCLB era. Education Finance and Policy, 11(3), pp. 340-359.
  25. Steinberg, M., Allensworth, E., & Johnson, D.W. (2011). Student and teacher safety in chicago public schools: the roles of community context and school social organization. Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research.
  26. Steiner, L. (2009). Tough decisions: closing persistently low-performing schools. Lincoln, NE: Academic Development Institute.
  27. Sunderman, G.L., & Payne, A. (2009). Does closing schools cause educational harm? A review of the research. Arlington, VA: Mid-Atlantic Equity Center.
  28. Wood, D., Halfon, N., Scarlata, D., Newacheck, P., & Nessim, S. (1993). Impact of family relocation on children's growth, development, school function, and behavior. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 270(11), pp. 1334-1338.

These references have been extracted automatically and may have some errors. Signed in users can suggest corrections to these mistakes.

Suggest Corrections to References