School Closures Conference | June 19th, 2015

Rand Quinn, from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, and Elaine Simon, from the Urban Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania, opened the day with words of welcome, explaining the goals for the gathering, how it came to be, and the plan for the day.

Question and answer session with speakers from the second roundtable.

The second roundtable, moderated by Mark Stern, included four research presentations: An Open and Shut Case: Comparing Outcomes of Community Engagement in D.C.'s School Closures – Esa Syeed, New York University Shifting Landscapes of Power and Privilege: Public School Closures and Uneven Development in Philadelphia – Ariel H. Bierbaum, University of California-Berkeley School’s Out: The Closing of Baltimore’s Schools – Jessica Shiller, Towson University Neighborhoods, Philadelphia School Closures, and the Contested Politics of Place – Ryan M. Good, Rutgers University

Question and answer session with speakers from the first roundtable.

The first roundtable, moderated by Ariel Bierbaum, included four research presentations: Fractured Justice and School Closure – Jacob Fay, Harvard University Understanding School Closures in Philadelphia – James Jack, School District of Philadelphia (formerly Research for Action) and John Sludden, Research for Action No One Ever Asks Us: Community Led Visions for School Success – Liza Pappas and Zakiyah Ansari, Alliance for Quality Education Branding Against Closure: Philadelphia Neighborhood Schools and the Management of Risky Futures – Julia McWilliams, University of Pennsylvania

Question and answer session with speakers from the fourth roundtable, followed by Lauren Wells, Chief Education Officer for Newark, New Jersey, closing the day with a keynote response.

The fourth roundtable was a panel discussion, moderated by Edwin Mayorga, about the utility and political relevance of social research, which then opened into a broader discussion with the audience. There were five panelists: Zakiyah Ansari, Alliance for Quality Education
 Dale Mezzacappa, The Philadelphia Public School Notebook Liza Pappas
 Jessica Shiller, Towson University
 Tieshka Smith, Philadelphia School Closing Photo Collective

The third roundtable, moderated by Ryan Good, included three research presentations: The Impact of School Instability on Students' Academic Resilience – Dena Phillips Swanson, University of Rochester and Latoya Manon, University of Rochester School Closure: A Thin Conceptualization of Equity – Anne Galletta, Cleveland State University and Stacey Steggert, Shaker Heights High School The Consequences of Public School Closure for Political Attitudes and Action: Lessons from Chicago and Philadelphia – Sally Nuamah, Northwestern University