This study provides details of the closing of an urban charter school and the developments that took place over time. The primary focus of this research was to understand the reasons for the closing of an urban charter school, based on the passion of the founder and staff. The study examined Senge's (2000) five learning disciplines and how relevant those five disciplines are for effective urban schools. The literature examined what many researchers deem necessary to be an effective school, while understanding that each school has their own share of challenges. The research design was an intrinsic case study at an urban charter school. It was supported by a theoretical framework and literature review. The data collection involved structured individual interviews across different constituents, document analysis, a demographic survey and observations. Research findings indicate the need for a more structured curriculum, experienced teachers and administrators working in an urban environment, board members with more of a presence and knowledge of academic performance and stability of leaders and teachers and the resistance of rapid growth. Implications of the research recognized that the urban charter school was doing great things fostering an environment of learning with staff that cared and worked hard; students gained a lot that did not translate to the test scores. This research suggests that the characteristics of an effective school include a solid and proven successful curriculum, experienced leaders and board members who have awareness of the needs of a successful school and who set clearly defined roles for school leadership are essential for success. This study also highlighted the closing of the school, what went wrong and provides implications for future research, implications for the field and implications for leadership, learning and service. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]