Michigan says 38 underperforming public schools could close

(AP) — Michigan announced Friday that it plans to close up to 38 underperforming schools in Detroit and other urban communities, potentially affecting 18,000 students and marking the first time that the state could close traditional public schools explicitly for academic reasons.

The announcement came in conjunction with the release of Michigan's school rankings, which are based on standardized test results, students' improvement over time and the gap between the best and worst pupils.

Fewer than half of states have school accountability systems that allow for closures and the option "has been used infrequently by states," said Jennifer Thomsen with the Education Commission of the States.

The move follows attempts by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to use state law to exert near-total state financial control of some cities, resulting in successfully guiding Detroit through bankruptcy but also the man-made Flint water disaster.

State assessments have changed every year since the 2014-15 academic year, "so there is no consistent data upon which to base these closings," Wigent said.

[...] Friday, the state had only once before ordered school closings for academic reasons.