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Schools for Sale: Disinvestment, Dispossession, and School Building Reuse in Philadelphia

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Title: Schools for Sale: Disinvestment, Dispossession, and School Building Reuse in Philadelphia
Language: English
Authors: Julia McWilliams, Ariel H. Bierbaum, Amy J. Bach, Elaine Simon
Source: University of Chicago Press. 2026.
Availability: University of Chicago Press. 1427 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637. Tel: 773-702-7700; Fax: 773-702-9756; e-mail: marketing@press.uchicago.edu; Web site: https://press.uchicago.edu/index.html
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 264
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Book
Reports - Research
Descriptors: School Districts, School Buildings, Building Conversion, School Closing, African Americans, Educational Change, Charter Schools, Urban Renewal, Investment, Retrenchment, Neighborhoods, Urban Schools, Racism
Geographic Terms: Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)
ISBN: 978-0-226-83460-3
Abstract: School districts across the United States have closed thousands of schools since 2000 to cope with chronic underfunding and budget crises, declining enrollment, and poorly maintained buildings. Our knowledge about school closures has focused on battles over closure decision-making and the impacts of closing schools on communities of color in the immediate aftermath of these decisions. But what of the large, sometimes magisterial, formerly public spaces once at the center of community life? How do these now vacant buildings change daily life in the surrounding neighborhood? In "Schools for Sale," Julia McWilliams, Ariel H. Bierbaum, Amy J. Bach, and Elaine Simon examine how school closures change the spatial and social arrangements of neighborhoods. Following a series of school closures in Philadelphia, the authors draw from research in urban studies, education, planning, and geography to explain how race, place, and capital merge to influence the trajectory of closed schools in Black and Brown communities and their surrounding neighborhoods. Some closed schools are repurposed as charter schools, upending the role those buildings have historically played in bringing communities together. Other buildings are sold for commercial development, caught up in cycles of gentrification even as developers foster programs to support community members. Others are left vacant or are demolished in the heart of their neighborhoods, decisions that reflect not only disinvestment in Black communities but the sobering reality of environmental racism. Drawing needed attention to one of the significant consequences of school closures, "Schools for Sale" imparts a deeper understanding of the connections between place, race, and education amid broader urban transformations, prompting us to consider how school districts can work toward a new vision for public education and community development.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Access URL: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo268432754.html
Accession Number: ED681218
Database: ERIC
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  Data: University of Chicago Press. 1427 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637. Tel: 773-702-7700; Fax: 773-702-9756; e-mail: marketing@press.uchicago.edu; Web site: https://press.uchicago.edu/index.html
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  Data: School districts across the United States have closed thousands of schools since 2000 to cope with chronic underfunding and budget crises, declining enrollment, and poorly maintained buildings. Our knowledge about school closures has focused on battles over closure decision-making and the impacts of closing schools on communities of color in the immediate aftermath of these decisions. But what of the large, sometimes magisterial, formerly public spaces once at the center of community life? How do these now vacant buildings change daily life in the surrounding neighborhood? In "Schools for Sale," Julia McWilliams, Ariel H. Bierbaum, Amy J. Bach, and Elaine Simon examine how school closures change the spatial and social arrangements of neighborhoods. Following a series of school closures in Philadelphia, the authors draw from research in urban studies, education, planning, and geography to explain how race, place, and capital merge to influence the trajectory of closed schools in Black and Brown communities and their surrounding neighborhoods. Some closed schools are repurposed as charter schools, upending the role those buildings have historically played in bringing communities together. Other buildings are sold for commercial development, caught up in cycles of gentrification even as developers foster programs to support community members. Others are left vacant or are demolished in the heart of their neighborhoods, decisions that reflect not only disinvestment in Black communities but the sobering reality of environmental racism. Drawing needed attention to one of the significant consequences of school closures, "Schools for Sale" imparts a deeper understanding of the connections between place, race, and education amid broader urban transformations, prompting us to consider how school districts can work toward a new vision for public education and community development.
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 264
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: School Districts
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School Buildings
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Building Conversion
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School Closing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: African Americans
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Change
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Charter Schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Urban Renewal
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Investment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Retrenchment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Neighborhoods
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Urban Schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Racism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Schools for Sale: Disinvestment, Dispossession, and School Building Reuse in Philadelphia
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              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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