Spatial Injustice: School Closures as a Form of Educational Redlining

What happens when we stop thinking about schools as buildings—and start seeing them as the ecosystems that hold our communities together?

In this episode, we sit with Dr. Mara Tieken to explore school closures not as isolated decisions, but as part of a broader pattern of spatial injustice—where resources, opportunities, and care are unevenly distributed based on where we live.

Together, we wrestle with a hard truth: school closures are often framed as inevitable… but what if they’re actually the result of choices—policies, priorities, and patterns of disinvestment—that we can question?

We grapple with several key ideas:

Schools are more than buildings—they are social, cultural, and economic anchors in our communities

Closures disproportionately impact Black, Brown, and low-income communities

The most common justifications (cost savings, academic improvement, “efficiency”) often don’t hold up under scrutiny

What gets labeled as a “failing school” is often a school that has been failed—by policy, funding, and systemic neglect

School closures don’t just disrupt students—they create lasting grief, loss, and disconnection across generations

This conversation also reminds us that we are not powerless. Across the country, communities are:

Organizing and building multiracial, cross-class coalitions

Questioning the data and narratives used to justify closures