Recent mass closings of schools have rocked cities across the United States. Though these urban closures—and widespread community protests—have made headlines, rural schools have also long experienced and opposed the closure of their schools. A large body of research examines these urban and rural closures from a variety of perspectives, including their economic motivations and policy implications. This review reexamines this literature, looking across context to show how school closure can produce spatial injustice. Advocates argue that closures further academic opportunity, efficiency, and equality. But our analysis shows that closures are unevenly distributed, disproportionately affecting places where poor communities and communities of color live, and they can bring negative effects, harming students and adults and reducing their access to an important educational and community institution. We conclude with recommendations for research and practice.

中文翻译：

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重新思考学校关闭研究：学校关闭是空间不公正

最近学校的大规模停课震动了美国各地的城市。尽管这些城市关闭以及广泛的社区抗议成为头条新闻，但农村学校长期以来也经历并反对关闭学校。大量研究从各种角度审视了这些城市和农村封闭，包括其经济动机和政策影响。这篇综述重新审视了这些文献，审视了背景，以展示学校关闭如何产生空间不公正。倡导者认为，关闭会进一步提高学术机会、效率和平等。但我们的分析表明，关闭的分布不均匀，对贫困社区和有色人种社区的影响不成比例，并且会带来负面影响，伤害学生和成人，并减少他们进入重要教育和社区机构的机会。我们总结了研究和实践的建议。