School Closures

Kansas City Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill celebrates with fans during a victory celebration and parade in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 15, 2023, following the Chiefs' win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game.
Kansas City Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill celebrates with young fans during a victory celebration and parade in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 15, 2023. The Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LVII, and several districts in the region canceled school the day of the parade.
Colin E. Braley/AP
School & District Management Super Bowl Districts Face Super-Sized Call: Should They Cancel Class for a Victory Parade?
Concerned about absenteeism, district leaders face tough decisions about days off for community events.
Evie Blad, February 8, 2024
5 min read
Two hands put together the pieces of an arrow puzzle that resembles a red brick schoolhouse.
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School & District Management When Schools Merge, Principals Must Forge a New Culture. Here’s How
Principals must focus on building new relationships, inside and outside the school.
Olina Banerji, February 8, 2024
7 min read
Aleesia Johnson, superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, left, visits classrooms at James Whitcomb Riley School 43 on Jan. 16, 2024 in Indianapolis.
Superintendent Aleesia Johnson visits with a student at James Whitcomb Riley School 43 in Indianapolis.
Kaiti Sullivan for Education Week
School & District Management Leader To Learn From With a Steady Hand, a Superintendent Guides Her District Through Big Changes
When Aleesia Johnson became superintendent of the Indianapolis schools, Indiana’s largest district needed much more than a patch job.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 5, 2024
9 min read
Illustration of people climbing stacks of books. There are 3 stacks of books at different heights with people helping people climb up.
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Student Achievement To Settle a Lawsuit, California Will Shift $2 Billion to Students Hurt by Pandemic Shutdowns
The settlement in the class-action lawsuit presses districts to provide evidence-based support to help students get back on track.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 1, 2024
7 min read
Photo illustration of a man walking through a maze with different color doors, some open, some closed. The concept of difficulty, too many options in a huge maze.
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School & District Management How Do You Decide Which Schools to Close? Inside 2 Districts' Thinking
School district leaders weighed enrollment and staffing trends, population patterns, and logistical and sentimental concerns.
Mark Lieberman, January 26, 2024
6 min read
Composite of worn chain link fence with lock, caution school crossing sign and dilapidated school in background.
Illustration by Liz Yap/Education Week (Images: iStock/Getty)
School & District Management Pressure to Close Schools Is Ramping Up. What Districts Need to Know
Falling enrollments and tight budgets are prompting communities to consider school closures. But doing so is never simple.
Mark Lieberman, January 24, 2024
8 min read
Kiara Unger-Fields, 4, of Johnstown, Pa., hangs on as she rides an inflatable tube pulled by her pup Neo, a Rottweiler, at Roxbury Park in Johnstown, Pa., on Jan. 11, 2024. Unger-Fields was accompanied at the park by her father Roshon Fields.
Kiara Unger-Fields, 4, of Johnstown, Pa., hangs on as she rides an inflatable tube pulled by her pup Neo, a Rottweiler, at Roxbury Park in Johnstown, Pa., on Jan. 11, 2024. Despite initial thoughts that remote learning would spell the end of snow days, many schools reverted to them in 2024 during cold, snowy weather.
Thomas Slusser/The Tribune-Democrat via AP
School & District Management In: Cocoa. Out: Chromebooks. E-Learning Didn't Kill Old-Fashioned Snow Days, Educators Say
Remember when virtual learning was going to put paid to snow days? These educators don't, either.
Evie Blad, January 19, 2024
5 min read
Classroom without students
Yue/iStock/Getty
School & District Management As Enrollment Declines, Districts Consider Closing Schools
Districts across the country are confronting a long-term decline in enrollments that has accelerated in recent years.
Caitlynn Peetz, January 8, 2024
5 min read
Key in keyhole on wood door
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Equity & Diversity Race Is a Big Factor in School Closures. What You Need to Know
Districts are more likely to close majority Black schools, researcher says.
Evie Blad & Ileana Najarro, November 28, 2023
5 min read
A woman and child walk past North Salem High School in Salem, Ore., on March 31, 2020, which, like all schools in Oregon, was closed at the time because of the coronavirus.
A woman and child walk past North Salem A woman and child walk past North Salem High School in Salem, Ore., on March 31, 2020, which, like all schools in Oregon, was closed at the time because of the coronavirus.
Andrew Selsky/AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center Nearly Half of Educators Believe Schools Were Closed Too Long During Pandemic
That's according to a poll conducted last month of teachers, administrators, and district leaders.
Caitlynn Peetz, June 20, 2023
4 min read
Students in a 10th grade English class at Pelham Memorial High School look outside the windows of their classroom on June 7, 2023, in Pelham, NY., as a yellow haze of smoke from wildfires in Canada blanket the area.
Students in a 10th grade English class at Pelham Memorial High School in Pelham, N.Y., look outside the windows of their classroom on June 7, 2023. Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, forcing schools to decide whether to call off classes or take less drastic measures, like canceling outdoor activities.
Will Zammit-Miller via AP
Student Well-Being Wildfire Haze and Poor Air Quality: Here's How Schools Are Responding
Children are particularly at risk from smoky skies, forcing school leaders to decide whether to cancel school or take less drastic measures.
Caitlynn Peetz, June 8, 2023
4 min read
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, is sworn in to testify during a House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee hearing on COVID-19 school closures, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, is sworn in to testify during a House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee hearing on COVID-19 school closures, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Federal AFT Head Weingarten Says Her Union Didn’t Conspire With CDC on School Reopening Guidance
Some Republicans allege the union exercised its influence to keep schools closed longer than necessary.
Caitlynn Peetz, April 26, 2023
7 min read
Families & the Community Video Faced With the Possibility of School Closure, Parents Sprang Into Action
Due to financial challenges, a Texas district was considering closing several schools. These parents came together in search of a solution.
Lauren Santucci, March 23, 2023
4:51
Conceptual illustration of a falling BEWARE DROP sign
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School & District Management Opinion School Closures Are Coming. What Not to Do
Student-achievement growth should trump low enrollment and failing buildings in making closure decisions, write two researchers.
Douglas N. Harris & Valentina Martinez-Pabon, November 28, 2022
3 min read