School Closure,Racial Politics,and Vulnerable Youth: Challenging the Shuttering of a Detroit School for Teen Parents

Abstract

This article highlights the acclaim, struggles, and ultimate closure of a Detroit public school for pregnant and parenting teens that was shuttered despite national commendation, community protests, for-profit charter conversion, and a civil rights lawsuit. Authors analyze discourse from educational, media, and legal data sources to offer a critical policy analysis of the school’s closure trajectory. Authors suggest how the effects of state decision making, restricted student agency, and waning legal protection fueled public educational disenfranchisement rather than boosted educational access and equity. Implications regarding school closure policy reform, community coalition building, and renewed legal protections in urban education are discussed.

Keywords

school closure urban education school reform school choice teen pregnancy Detroit charter schools programs

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