Closed for Democracy : How Mass School Closure Undermines the Citizenship of Black Americans

This book studies the high costs and suffering associated with battles to save public schools while poor and Black in America. It is valuable for understanding how repeated political battles, even those won by the poor and minoritized, can have serious negative impacts on their relationship to democracy.

Every year, over 1,000 public schools are permanently closed across the United States. And yet, little is known about their impacts on American democracy. Closed for Democracy is the ?rst book to systematically study the political causes and democratic consequences of mass public school closures in the United States. The book investigates the declining presence of public schools in large cities and their impacts on the Americans most directly affected – poor Black citizens. It documents how these mass school closure policies target minority communities, making them feel excluded from the public goods afforded to equal citizens. In response, targeted communities become superlative participators to make their voices heard. Nevertheless, the high costs and low responsiveness associated with the policy process undermines their faith in the power of political participation. Ultimately, the book reveals that when schools shut down, so too does Black citizens' access to, and belief in, American democracy.