The Impact of School Closures on Patterns of Student Attendance and Achievement in Houston Independent School District

• In Event: The Many Faces of High-Stakes Accountability

Abstract

School closures are an increasingly common reform strategy for school districts facing declining enrollments, constricting budgets, and low academic performance. However, little empirical attention has addressed the effects of closures on student achievement. In this study, we examine the impact of 43 school closures in Houston Independent School District between 2003 and 2010. Findings indicate HISD’s closures disproportionately displaced poor and black students. Despite the fact that students generally transferred to more advantaged and academically higher-performing schools, closures were not associated with higher achievement than would have been expected in the absence of closures. Importantly, however, closures had a positive impact on the lowest-achieving students, particularly those that transferred to relatively high performing schools. We conclude with implications for policy.

Authors

• Kori James Stroub, The University of Texas - Austin

• Meredith Paige Richards, Southern Methodist University