School Closure, Racial Politics, and Vulnerable Youth: Challenging the Shuttering of a Detroit School for Teen Parents

SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: https://sagepub.com

Y

31

School Closing; Public Schools; Urban Schools; Pregnant Students; Child Rearing; Adolescents; Special Schools; Educational Policy; Minority Group Students; African American Students; Politics of Education; Court Litigation; Civil Rights; Charter Schools; Females; Dropout Prevention; State Policy; Racism; Gender Bias; Social Bias

10.1177/0042085919842611

0042-0859
1552-8340

This article highlights the acclaim, struggles, and ultimate closure of a Detroit public school for pregnant and parenting teens that was shuttered despite national commendation, community protests, for-profit charter conversion, and a civil rights lawsuit. Authors analyze discourse from educational, media, and legal data sources to offer a critical policy analysis of the school's closure trajectory. Authors suggest how the effects of state decision making, restricted student agency, and waning legal protection fueled public educational disenfranchisement rather than boosted educational access and equity. Implications regarding school closure policy reform, community coalition building, and renewed legal protections in urban education are discussed.

As Provided

2022

EJ1360014