Consolidation at the Margins

• In Event: Preparing School Leaders to Engage in School Reform by Understanding Issues of Equity and Social Justice

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine the implications of promoting school consolidation in Ohio as a means to improve educational experiences of children; however, most assumptions made by policymakers who promote consolidating schools often go unchallenged (Howley, Johnson, & Petrie 2011; Ravitch, 2010). This conceptual study examined the impact of school consolidation, from the 1960s through 2011. Findings suggest the voices of those who live on the margins are often dismissed. Those involved in school consolidation did not engage with the affected school communities; rather, they often presented ideas suggesting bigger is better. Consolidation efforts also suggested financial resources shifted from local to regional spaces often leaving rural communities with abandoned buildings, limited resources, and weakened social networks. The implications of this study suggest those who prepare school leaders might afford candidates with spaces to reconsider how often the call to action for school consolidation occurs in predominantly impoverished urban and rural school communities (DeYoung & Howley, 1990; Martin, 1972; Noblit & Mendez, 2008; Sher & Tompkins, 1976). The potential outcomes of engaging in this type of work might deepen a school leader’s understanding of small school initiatives, the potential impact of consolidation on children living in poverty, and the community’s welfare (e.g., housing value, local economy). This new way of knowing also presents school leaders with spaces to engage in the wellspring of action (Brasington, 1997; Coleman, 1985, 1991; Lyson, 2002; Ravitch, 2010).

Author

• Leah J. Daugherty, Kent State University