Most of the discussion surrounding school improvements relates primarily to the impact that enhanced teaching and learning will have on the academic achievement of students. Rightfully so, our attention and resources are being focused like a laser on ways to elevate classrooms and schools so that all students gain access to a high quality education, in suburban, rural, and urban districts. As cities and states strategize about where to build new schools and how to develop resource and space sharing solutions within shrinking budgets, their property leases and acquisitions are likely creating opportunities for other people, firms, and organizations that want to provide or market goods and services to students and their families. Perhaps unintentionally, school leaders are playing a role in the ultimate development of healthy, productive, and sustainable environments where students and families live, learn, work, and play. School construction efforts are essentially creating atmospheres that are conducive to all kinds of services and retail activity. Educators and their partners are sharing in the revitalization of downtown and urban areas by simply relocating or rebuilding crumbling school buildings in places that had become depressed or suffered due to economic downturns or business relocations.

The elephant in the room is the reality that high performing schools can make or break the appeal and vitality of neighborhoods and communities, in the eyes of parents as well as prospective community stakeholders such as real estate developers, residents, and businesses. As the lowest performing schools face closures, many of the surrounding neighborhoods will undoubtedly suffer as well, because most of the schools have existed for decades and represent stable community institutions for the neighbors. Similar to the loss of retail outlets, grocery stores, libraries, and recreational centers, the closure of a longstanding school can create the kind of void in a community that can almost suck the life out of places where they’re already barely holding on. This explains why members of some communities lobby hard against closing schools in areas that are already struggling to maintain a sense of relevance. The emergence of K-12 schools in distressed areas is one of the best decisions being made by education leaders because of the potential for growth and vitality across so many sectors of a community. This not only benefits the academic needs of the local student population, it also creates environments that attract enterprises like ice cream parlors, dry cleaners, gas stations, and movie theaters, all of which respond to the everyday needs of students and their families.