Access Denied: A Historical Account of Race and School Closings Since 1865

• In Event: Education as a Public Good: Debates Across History

Abstract

This paper seeks to extend the historical arc of school closure literature from 1865 to 2015. Stories of school closings often include how finance, policy, law, and governance shape closure rationales. This study extends the closure literature by: 1) considering school closures since Reconstruction, 2) centering race in understanding educational access and school closures, and 3) using spatial analysis to examine how closures manifest across geographic environments. This study provides insight into the various meanings and purposes of African American education, highlighting the history and role of race, and how closures have been a means to deny educational access, which is often achieved through violent means. Also, this work counteracts erasure of the histories and experiences of African Americans.

Author

• Tonya Kneff-Chang, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor