Creating Opportunity Out of Crisis: A Qualitative Case Study of School Closure in an Urban School District

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the implementation of school closure in an urban school district. Oakdale Unified, a pseudonym for a large school district in California, has been beset by fiscal and academic challenges over the past few years. At the height of the crisis, the school district had no recourse but to close schools. This study aspired to learn about the problem by asking research questions related to school closure board policies, school closure processes and criteria, public and community involvement during decision- making, and the consequences arising after closure. In this research, the methodology included the review of board policies, the examination of extant data, and the interview of six purposefully selected individuals. Five major findings were derived from emergent themes: 1) School closure was not clearly stated or defined under board policies, but could be referenced under related policies that promote community relationships and other democratic principles; 2) The criteria used for closing schools had an enhanced academic focus that aspired to identify and reform underperforming schools under NCLB guidelines; 3) District officials informed and engaged the community in the school closure process by allowing them to participate in a task force that worked collaboratively with district staff to create the decision-making matrix; 4) The rise and proliferation of charter schools in OUSD could be linked to the community's initial quest to establish quality schools in every local neighborhood; and 5) Displaced individuals continued to experience social and emotional feelings far beyond the closing of their school