米国における学校再編への都市再開発政策の影響と課題

――シカゴを事例とした教育政策の空間的分析の試み――

抄録

This article analyzes the influences and challenges of urban redevelopment policies on school restructuring in Chicago, U.S. from a spatial perspective by focusing on the works of Pauline Lipman. This article focuses on 1)the interaction and dynamics of the educational policy, the housing policy, and the economic policy, and 2)how the circumstances and process of children's development are influenced by the dynamics of these policies in the city. Through these analyzes, this article makes theoretical and practical suggestions for Japan.

In 2004, Mayor and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) started the “Renaissance 2010” plan which has closed public schools and reopened them as choice schools. School closures have been concentrated on the inner city. These have been caused largely by the housing policy.

The City of Chicago has conducted a plan for transformation of public housing. This plan started with the good intention of demolishing the decaying public housing and building mixed-income housing to overcome the social isolation and poverty of low-income families. However, this has resulted in “gentrification”. It means the rapid upgrade of the inner city unsuitable for residents. There is a hidden intention behind it to make Chicago one of the most economically powerful cities, “Global City”.

This article found that the school restructuring is forced to function as a key factor to achieve this aim. Closing public schools increases the instability of low-income families who have been already distressed by the demolition of public housing. Finally it also makes doubly sure to push them out of the city. Reopening new choice schools becomes the key aspect which shows urban renewal to the middle class families and attracts them from suburban areas. Through these processes, Chicago's political and economical structures have been transformed to make them suitable for the new industrial structure. This is the new trend of educational policy under globalization.

Next this article examines the process of closing and reopening schools. In Chicago, the disinvestment to public schools and the educational accountability policy by CPS have made it easy to bring about school closures. In the process of reopening schools, people have been deprived of their voices for decision-making regarding new schools. In addition, the new choice schools can get money to build new school buildings from the city funds for urban renewal. As a result, 150 public schools have been closed, and reopened as a “beautiful” “choice” school. Low-income students tend to lose access to good schools.

This article concludes with suggestions that 1)if the educational policy is influenced by urban strategies, schooling may alienate children's development, and 2)under globalization with scarce resources, the improvement of schools and communities has to be achieved exclusively at the sacrifice of other things. Educational administration will play a more important role in coordinating resources among them.