New Report Addresses Complexities of School-Closure Decisions

Closing failing schools can be productive if part of a larger strategy involving effective alternatives

NEW YORK, NY — Many school districts around the country are plagued with failing schools. While no official wants to close a failing school, no child deserves to attend one either—a conundrum which leaves policymakers with the difficult decision about whether to close schools or invest money into turning them around. A new Manhattan Institute report from senior fellow Marcus Winters reviews available research to suggest that while school-closure decisions are complicated, closing persistently ineffective schools is often the best strategy for providing optimal educations for the students who attend them.

A school’s potential closure will affect many populations, including students at the closing school, students at the school that accepts the displaced students, and students who would have attended the closing school had it stayed open. Officials should weigh how closures will affect each population given the unique circumstances in their own districts. Winters’ report offers guidance for conducting such investigations, fleshing out the types of metrics officials should consider.

In addition, the report suggests that expanding school choice and adopting a portfolio model can increase a district’s ability to offer the best possible educational opportunities for all of its students. The portfolio model enables schools to operate with autonomy while holding them to robust accountability standards. It also empowers parents to place their children in schools based on preference rather than location. Winters suggests that the portfolio model helps policymakers better understand the quality of their schools, based on whether parents choose or reject certain schools, and ultimately increases the likelihood that all students will have access to effective schools.

Click here to read the full report.