School Closures and the Gentrification of the Black Metropolis

Abstract

Largely overlooked in the empirical literature on gentrification are the potential effects school closures have in the process. This study begins to fill this gap by integrating longitudinal data on all U.S. metropolitan neighborhoods from the Neighborhood Change Database with data on the universe of school closures from the National Center for Educational Statistics. We found that the effects of school closures on patterns of gentrification were concentrated among black neighborhoods. School closures increased the probability that the most segregated black neighborhoods experienced gentrification by 8 percentage points and increased the extent to which these neighborhoods experienced gentrification by .21 standard deviations. We found no evidence that school closures increased the likelihood or extent that white or Latinx neighborhoods experienced gentrification. Substantive conclusions were consistent across multiple measures of gentrification, alternative model specifications, and a variety of sample restrictions and were robust to a series of falsification tests. Results suggest school closures do not simply alter the educational landscape. School closures are also emblematic of a larger spatial and racial reimagining of U.S. cities that dispossesses and displaces black neighborhoods.

Commanding Through Change: A Conceptual Model for School Leadership Amid Gentrification

“…Similarly, changes to school assignment and feeder patterns may encourage middle-class families to reside in certain neighborhoods (Henry & Hankins, 2012). Finally, school closures might also increase the likelihood of gentrification, particularly in majority Black neighborhoods (Pearman & Marie Greene, 2022).…”

“They Don't Feel Like This Is Their Place Anymore:” School Leaders’ Understanding of the Impacts of Gentrification on Schools

“…Yet, some research suggests that the majority of schools in gentrifying districts do not experience increased resources (Green et al, 2022a). In fact, some schools—especially those that are majority Black—experience closure because of the myriad of impacts that gentrification can have on student enrollment, school perception, and other factors (Ewing & Green, 2022; Pearman & Marie Greene, 2022).…”

“…Residential displacement also shapes how children form and cultivate bonds between individuals and places and the emotional value tied to their sense of belonging (Thurber, 2018). This loss of place attachment due to gentrification can manifest as school closures, which are known to have varied effects on student achievement (Ewing & Green, 2022; Green, 2017b; Pearman & Marie Greene, 2022). Given the ramifications of place dis-attachment, Thurber (2018) thus contends that displacement is “the most obvious form of material injustice” (p. 30) given the compounding generational effects it has on educational opportunity, employment, household income, and wealth inequalities.…”

Choosing Alone? Peer Continuity Disparities in Choice-Based Enrollment Systems

“…In many large districts, the quantity and quality of choices are unevenly distributed. Neighborhoods with higher fractions of Black residents have experienced more school closures and openings (Pearman & Greene, 2022), and fewer high-performing schools tend to be available in these neighborhoods (Edwards, 2021; Laverde, 2022; Sartain & Barrow, 2022).…”