Before closing Bellingham schools, be clear about the evidence | Opinion

I have spent the past several years standing in Bellingham elementary classrooms, not as a parent of an elementary student, though I am one, but as a teacher educator. I teach science methods courses at Western Washington University, and every quarter I bring my students into Bellingham Public Schools classrooms for practicum placements. My research focuses on self-efficacy and sense of belonging, the conditions that determine whether a child believes they can succeed. So, when I read the Facilities Planning Task Force’s recommendation to close Carl Cozier and Columbia elementary schools, I read it both as a parent and as a researcher. Neither part of me is convinced this decision is being made on solid ground.