Last Saturday I presented a talk at the AFT/HFT Teacher Leaders Program here in Hartford, CT. The focus of my talk was the analysis from my recent peer-reviewed article, Framing of Black and Latinx School Closure in Redeveloping Hartford, Connecticut. It was great to share the paper findings and broader analysis of how school closures in Hartford, CT did not necessarily improve academic achievement, offered limited cost savings, and interacted with a shift of resources to other forms of urban redevelopment in the city.
Speaking with teacher leaders in Hartford also brought multiple generations of experience, wisdom, and new questions to the discussion on how school closures reshape the district and city. As this discussion revealed, educators often face the many aspects of school closure over time that policymakers may not. I hope to have more conversations as Hartford communities face new calls for potential school closures in Hartford, as well as other cities in Connecticut and the U.S.
Learning from the City 