Tracing Transitions

Although closure is an increasingly common response to the problems of chronically underperforming urban schools, few studies have examined the effect of closure on displaced students. The authors used multiple methods to study the academic performance and experiences of Latino and African American high school students in the year following the closure of their school. Quantitative analyses show declines in the transition cohort’s academic performance after transferring to new schools. Qualitative findings help explain this pattern by describing students’ interpretations of the closure and their experiences transitioning to new schools. Overall, the case study suggests that closure added stressors to students who were already contending with challenges associated with urban poverty.