"Closed for Democracy investigates the declining presence of public schools in large cities and its political consequences on the Americans most directly affected - poor Black citizens. The book examines the targeted nature of urban public school closure and its impact on the politics of those affected. It documents how school closure policies target these communities and, through the process, makes them feel excluded from the public goods afforded to equal citizens under the law. Targeted groups become superlative participators to make their voices heard, and some even attain policy gains. But their negative experiences with the policy process undermine their belief in the power of political participation. In the end, the book makes clear that when schools shut down, so does Black citizens' access to and belief in American democracy"--