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Schools Never Die: Toward a Dynamic Systems Theory of School Closure. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1327

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Title: Schools Never Die: Toward a Dynamic Systems Theory of School Closure. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1327
Language: English
Authors: Francis A. Pearman, Amanda Lu, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Source: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2025.
Availability: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 18
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: School Closing, Systems Approach, Educational Policy, Educational Research
Abstract: Educational researchers and policymakers typically treat school closures as discrete administrative decisions with clear endpoints. This paper challenges that assumption by applying Dynamic Systems Theory to school closure policy and research. We argue that schools function as adaptive ecosystems embedded within broader networks of relations that span social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions. When districts close schools, many underlying systems--relational networks, cultural practices, institutional memories, and financial governance--persist and adapt rather than disappear, rendering true "closure" illusory. This contradiction--between dynamic systems and discrete closure--explains why closure effects often confound policymakers' predictions, why communities mount fierce resistance even to seemingly justified closures, and why impacts can reverberate through communities for years. We argue that adopting a perspective that "schools never die" can improve school closure policy and research by grounding school closures in the reality that schools are embedded within and comprised of systems that shift and reconfigure over time. We conclude by outlining specific recommendations for how DST principles can reshape researchers' analytical approaches to the study of school closure.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED678271
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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  Data: Schools Never Die: Toward a Dynamic Systems Theory of School Closure. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1327
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  Data: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
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  Data: Educational researchers and policymakers typically treat school closures as discrete administrative decisions with clear endpoints. This paper challenges that assumption by applying Dynamic Systems Theory to school closure policy and research. We argue that schools function as adaptive ecosystems embedded within broader networks of relations that span social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions. When districts close schools, many underlying systems--relational networks, cultural practices, institutional memories, and financial governance--persist and adapt rather than disappear, rendering true "closure" illusory. This contradiction--between dynamic systems and discrete closure--explains why closure effects often confound policymakers' predictions, why communities mount fierce resistance even to seemingly justified closures, and why impacts can reverberate through communities for years. We argue that adopting a perspective that "schools never die" can improve school closure policy and research by grounding school closures in the reality that schools are embedded within and comprised of systems that shift and reconfigure over time. We conclude by outlining specific recommendations for how DST principles can reshape researchers' analytical approaches to the study of school closure.
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: ED678271
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