Can school closures decrease ethnic school segregation?: Evidence from primary and lower secondary schools in Stockholm, Sweden

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Can school closures decrease ethnic school segregation?: Evidence from primary and lower secondary schools in Stockholm, Sweden
Authors: Mutgan, Selcan, 1984, Tapia, Eduardo, Assistant Professor
Source: Journal of Urban Affairs. 47(2):404-427
Subject Terms: School segregation, school closures, simulations, opportunity structures, Sweden
Description: In recent decades, various cities in Sweden have implemented school closures as a desegregation strategy. Using simulation models calibrated with administrative data for all primary and lower secondary schools in Stockholm, Sweden, we assess the potential impact of school closure on ethnic school segregation. More specifically, we study how the characteristics of the school to be closed, the local opportunity structure for the displaced students, and the student reallocation criteria influence the effects of school closures on school segregation. Our findings show that the change in ethnic school segregation is highly dependent on reallocation criteria and local opportunity structures. Moreover, they demonstrate that the current practices associated with school closures in large urban areas (i.e., closing minority-dominated schools in minority-dominated neighborhoods) are likely to be ineffective in reducing school segregation, especially when students are reallocated to their nearest school or to schools whose composition resembles that of their former schools.
File Description: electronic
Access URL: https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-192399
https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2023.2177549
Database: SwePub
Description
Abstract:In recent decades, various cities in Sweden have implemented school closures as a desegregation strategy. Using simulation models calibrated with administrative data for all primary and lower secondary schools in Stockholm, Sweden, we assess the potential impact of school closure on ethnic school segregation. More specifically, we study how the characteristics of the school to be closed, the local opportunity structure for the displaced students, and the student reallocation criteria influence the effects of school closures on school segregation. Our findings show that the change in ethnic school segregation is highly dependent on reallocation criteria and local opportunity structures. Moreover, they demonstrate that the current practices associated with school closures in large urban areas (i.e., closing minority-dominated schools in minority-dominated neighborhoods) are likely to be ineffective in reducing school segregation, especially when students are reallocated to their nearest school or to schools whose composition resembles that of their former schools.
ISSN:07352166
14679906
DOI:10.1080/07352166.2023.2177549