Two Centers at ISU Receive USDA Grant to Study School Closings

Date: 12/11/06
Contact: Kathy Beal

Illinois State University's Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development and the Center for the Study of Educational Policy have received a half-million dollar federal grant to help communities understand and plan for the impact of school closures.

More than 1,500 Illinois schools have closed in the past 35 years. Often the schools are in rural areas, leading to an economic downturn for the affected communities. Research indicates that a community's identity, population and economy are tied to the presence of a school. The issue of how school and community officials can anticipate and plan for times when their schools are closed will be studied by the two centers thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture grant.

"Tightening budgets, declining populations and an emphasis on efficiency has forced school districts to consolidate and close schools," said Frank Beck, director of the Stevenson Center. "The closures affect students, school officials, families and communities."

Beck said the study will look at what trends predict rural school closure; what impact closures have on local economies, educational systems and population trends; and what circumstances from a school closure or consolidation lead to local population growth, economic gains and educational benefits. The study will examine how schools act as economic engines within their communities, and how decisions are made to close schools. Beck said the study will help school and community officials better plan for the future in cases of school closures or consolidations.

The researchers are Beck from the Stevenson Center, Norm Durflinger from the Center for the Study of Education Policy, Sherrilyn Billger from Economics and Joseph Pacha from Educational Administration. The study will cover the time period of the 1970s to the present.