Reclaiming Our Way promoting the well-being of African American children & families

Debunking the Myths of School Closures

The infographic below is another in a series developed by the National Opportunity to Learn Foundation, highlighting the detrimental effects of school closures - especially on African American and Latino children and families.

More specifically this one takes on and exposes four of the myths frequently cited by proponents of school closures.

• Most students won't go to better schools.
• Closures won't save the district big bucks.
• These aren't empty schools.
• Closures do have a big impact - on everyone.

Please be clear that these closures are not inevitable, and they tend not to happen within communities whose families are organized and vocal against the closings.

After the analysis, readers are directed to a resource that describes real and viable alternatives, A Proposal for Sustainable School Transformation. Check it out to get some additional ideas about why the alternatives make sense, and how we can all get more involved.

In cities across the country, education officials are closing public schools en masse, impacting thousands of students, disproportionately those from communities of color or low-income families. Officials use a variety of justifications to defend the closures, citing everything from budget concerns to promises of better opportunities for students. But as this new infographic from the OTL Campaign illustrates, these justifications don’t hold up to scrutiny.