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Stevenson Center Nets $500,000 USDA Grant

Rural School Closure Grant Team

School Closure Grant Team

Illinois State University’s Stevenson Center has received a half-million dollar federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help communities understand and plan for the impact of school closures. More than 1,500 Illinois schools have closed in the past 35 years. Often the schools are in rural areas, leading to an economic downturn for the affected communities. The study will look at what trends predict rural school closure and what impact closures have on local economies, educational systems, and population trends. The study will also investigate the circumstances of a closure or consolidation trends that lead to local population growth, economic gains, and educational benefits. “Tightening budgets, declining populations, and an emphasis on efficiency has forced school districts to consolidate and close schools,” said Frank Beck, Director of the Stevenson Center. “The closures affect students, school officials, families, and communities. It is important, therefore, to document the ways in which schools act as economic engines within their communities.”

The researchers are Frank Beck from the Stevenson Center, Norm Durflinger from the Center for the Study of Education Policy, Sherrilyn Billger from the Department of Economics, and Joseph Pacha from Educational Administration. The study will cover the time period from the 1970s to the present.

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