Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-140). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-140). Also available on the Internet.

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School districts and states have increasingly abandoned traditional school reform efforts in favor of simply closing low-performing schools. This movement reflects growing frustration among policymakers with the disappointing effects of previous school improvement policies, and the view that some schools may simply lack the capacity to undertake meaningful improvements. This paper focuses on arguably the most aggressive school closure policies in the nation--those in New York City. Over the past decade, New York City has closed over 100 schools. Using a longitudinal database of students and schools, I explore the implementation and effects of closure and reconstitution of middle schools in New York City, and assess the links between school closure and student academic development and behavior. My descriptive findings indicate that schools selected for closure have significantly lower school-average state test score exams and lower attendance rates compared to other middle schools for several years prior to closure, and that students who attend these schools are almost exclusively Hispanic and Black, more likely to come from low-income families, and more mobile than other middle school students in the district. I also find that students enter these middle schools already at a significant academic disadvantage. I examine characteristics of the reconstituted schools that replace the closed schools, and find that in terms of demographics, reconstituted schools enroll students similar to those served by the closed schools that they replaced. However, the reconstituted schools serve higher performing students with fewer absences and tardies in the year prior to enrolling in middle school. To assess the impact of school closure on student academic outcomes, I use propensity-score matching within a difference-in-differences framework. I find a small, positive effect of school closure on student test scores and rates of absences. As a robustness check, I conduct a second set of analyses using student fixed-effects models that produced similar results: students learn slightly less at chronically underperforming schools, compared to what would have happened had they attended an alternate school. School closure appears to be a somewhat effective in improving student academic outcomes. It is not clear, however, whether the policy is efficient given the small effects and the considerable disruption associated with the policy. Future research should examine the fiscal costs associated with closure, compared to costs of other policies with similar effects.

This thesis has presented a comprehensive study on the abandonment of historic school buildings by the Indianapolis Public Schools system from 1970 to 1997. During this period, IPS closed or demolished sixty-four city schools representing nearly fifty-three percent of all Indianapolis public schools in 1970. The principal reason behind the facility closings was a dramatic decline in student enrollment beginning in 1967, but rapidly accelerating after 1970.Several factors contributed to this fall in public school rolls: lower birth rates, the unified government system (Unigov) that merged Indianapolis and Marion County administrative functions, and highway construction and urban renewal projects that cleared large areas of residential neighborhoods. The most significant factor, however, was court mandated integration of Indianapolis public schools in 1970, which led many white families to flee the IPS district and eventually resulted in one way, cross-district busing in 1981.The approaches adopted by Indianapolis Public School officials and the school board between 1970 and 1997, in response to the loss of student population, demonstrates an evolution of policy concerning historic school buildings in the city's inventory. During the early rounds of large scale closings, 1972-1975 and 1980-1981, IPS authorities specifically targeted older schools for closing. This policy changed during the last period of closings, 1995-1997, as some consideration was placed in closing decisions on school buildings' historic and architectural significance.Indianapolis Public School procedures governing the sale of surplus schools also went through a transformation between 1970 and 1997. Until recently, IPS was little concerned about the intended use of former schools by potential buyers. As a result, many historic school buildings were lost due to neglect or outright demolition. In 1997, however, Indianapolis school officials began to take responsibility for ensuring that historic schools leaving IPS's stewardship be preserved. / Department of Architecture