School Closures

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
iStock/Getty
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
Ollie Wright, left, watches as CJ Lanahan, center, and Dan Edick work on creating a snow kicker for a rail, enjoying the aftermath of two days of lake-effect snow, at Hoyt Lake in Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.
Ollie Wright, left, watches as CJ Lanahan, center, and Dan Edick work on creating a snow kicker for a rail, enjoying the aftermath of two days of lake-effect snow, at Hoyt Lake in Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.
Libby March/The Buffalo News via AP
School & District Management Photos PHOTOS: The Snow Day Lives in Buffalo After a Massive Storm
After a massive storm dumped up to 6 feet of snow in parts of Buffalo, schools closed and students made the most of the storm.
Jaclyn Borowski , November 21, 2022
1 min read
Empty classroom of desks.
E+/Getty
Student Well-Being Respiratory Illnesses Force Schools to Close, Hurting Attendance Efforts
Support for students returning from illness is critical.
Evie Blad, November 9, 2022
6 min read
Illustration of weighing funding against schools remaining open
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School Choice & Charters Federal Funding and Charter School Closures: What the Latest Government Data Show
The Government Accountability Office examined closure rates over 15 years and $2.5 billion of federal funding.
Libby Stanford, October 13, 2022
2 min read
With only open windows and fans to cool the room down, students enter their non-air-conditioned classroom at Campbell High School in Ewa, Hawaii, on Aug. 3, 2015. Most of Hawaii's public schools don't have air conditioning, and record-high temperatures have left teachers and students saying they can't focus because of the heat. Hawaii lawmakers are saying it's time to cool Hawaii's public schools. A proposal being considered by the House Committee of Finance would fund air conditioning for Hawaii Department of Education schools and expedite the process to get cooling systems installed in classrooms.
Only open windows and fans cooled the room as students arrived at Campbell High School in Ewa, Hawaii, in August, 2015. Most of Hawaii's public schools don't have air conditioning, even as research shows that heat can depress student learning.
Marco Garcia/AP
Student Well-Being Explainer The School Year Is Getting Hotter. How Does Heat Affect Student Learning and Well-Being?
Climate change will lead to more hot school days, and experts say schools are not prepared.
Madeline Will, September 26, 2022
10 min read
A Black man in jeans and a tan, short-sleeve shirt and navy pants holds a cell phone to his ear with one hand while he uses his other hand to drag a large grey trash can filled with water from a nearby tanker truck across a school parking lot.
Santonia Matthews, a custodian at Forest Hill High School in Jackson, Miss., hauls away a trash can filled with water from a tanker in the school's parking lot Wednesday. A recent flood worsened Jackson's longstanding water system problems, forcing schools to switch to remote learning.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
School & District Management Emergency Readiness Lessons From a District's Water Crisis
District leaders in Jackson, Miss., relied on "muscle memory" to get kids back in remote learning when the city's water system failed.
Evie Blad, September 2, 2022
7 min read
Image of students getting off of a bus.
E+
School & District Management Race Is a Strong Predictor of Which Schools Will Close Permanently, Study Shows
While enrollment and school achievement are the highest predictors of school closure, racial demographics play a big role.
Libby Stanford, May 26, 2022
4 min read
Children attend a lesson in a school in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has lifted the restrictions on schools in Russia's capital, students of all grades will to return for face-to-face education after months studying remotely.
Children attend a lesson in a school in Moscow last January. Russian schools had relatively shorter periods of academic disruptions than other countries, a new study finds.
Pavel Golovkin/AP
International What the Research Says Schooling in a Pandemic: How Other Countries Are Doing It
A new study highlights how instruction in 11 countries has changed following pandemic closures and outbreaks.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 24, 2022
3 min read
2016 Opinion ELL 840293800
E+/Getty
Student Well-Being What the Research Says New Research Shows How Bad the Pandemic Has Been for Student Mental Health
Researchers say the road to recovery will be a long one.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 18, 2022
4 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Student Achievement Opinion No, Temporarily Closing Schools Is Not Like Invading Iraq
Are academic challenges experienced by students now primarily attributable to virtual learning or to overall pandemic stress?
Larry Ferlazzo, January 11, 2022
5 min read
Parents pick up their children while wearing masks outside of P.S. 64 in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan on Dec. 21, 2021, in New York.
Parents pick up their children while wearing masks outside of P.S. 64 in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan on Dec. 21, 2021, in New York.
Brittainy Newman/AP Photo
School & District Management As Omicron Surges, Schools Battle Pressure to Stay Open
The hyper-contagious Omicron variant is spreading swiftly, prompting some K-12 leaders to shut down schools amid intense pressure to stay open.
Catherine Gewertz, December 21, 2021
6 min read
Paul Martino at his Doylestown home this month.
Paul Martino at his Doylestown home this month.
Elizabeth Robertson/Tribune News Service
School & District Management Parent Frustrated by School Closures Funnels $600K Into School Board Races
“I really started this to get accountability over the administration who dropped the ball, in my opinion," said the Pa. venture capitalist.
Peter Hall, The Morning Call, October 29, 2021
5 min read
Empty desks in a dark classrooom
Getty
Student Achievement Longer COVID-Related School Closures Could Hurt Students' Future Earnings
Students who experienced the longest school closures will face lower future earnings and are less likely to go to college, a new study says.
Olivia Rockeman and Nic Querolo, Bloomberg News, October 26, 2021
1 min read