On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Vlad Kogan, a professor at Ohio State University, joins Mike and David to discuss what role race, achievement, and enrollment play in a district’s decision to close a school. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber examines a new report that investigates the staffing difficulties and potential academic effects of class size reduction policies in New York City.

Recommended content: 

• “Flawed work to close city schools will hurt Columbus for years to come. It must be fixed.” —Vlad Kogan, The Columbus Dispatch
• “Schools Will Have to Start Closing Again” —Michael Petrilli, Wall Street Journal
• “Enrollment down. Achievement lackluster. Should this school close?” —Francis Pearman, Education Week
• Matthew Chingos, Ariella Meltzer, and Jay Carter, “Will implementing class size caps exacerbate hiring challenges in New York City’s highest-poverty schools?,” Urban Institute (July 2024).

Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at [email protected].