State Takeovers of Low-Performing Schools: A Record of Academic Failure, Financial Mismanagement & Student Harm
Low-performing public schools have become a critical battleground between corporate-backed initiatives that remove local control of schools and favor the privatization of public education, and proponents of community schools who assert that parents, teachers and students—in short, the public—are the greatest asset in restoring strong educational outcomes.
In the past decade, the debate over school control has shifted to include “takeover districts” in which schools that are deemed “chronically failing” are removed from the local school district and placed in a statewide district with a separate governance structure that is far less transparent and accountable to the public. Three states, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Michigan, had already established districts of this kind by 2014. Another eight states have introduced legislation to create statewide takeover districts in the last year: Arkansas, Georgia, Nevada, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.
Findings
The rapid proliferation of the takeover district as an educational panacea is alarming. In this report, we examine the record of the three existing takeover districts, and find that there is no clear evidence that takeover districts actually achieve their stated goals of radically improving performance at failing schools. We find that:
1. Children have seen negligible improvement—or even dramatic setbacks—in their educational performance.
2. State takeover districts have created a breeding ground for fraud and mismanagement at the public’s expense.
3. Staff face high turnover and instability, creating a disrupted learning environment for children.
4. Students of color and those with special needs face harsh disciplinary measures and discriminatory practices that further entrench a two-tiered educational system.
2. State takeover districts have created a breeding ground for fraud and mismanagement at the public’s expense.
3. Staff face high turnover and instability, creating a disrupted learning environment for children.
4. Students of color and those with special needs face harsh disciplinary measures and discriminatory practices that further entrench a two-tiered educational system.
Recommendations
Instead of replicating failed statewide takeovers in an attempt to turn around struggling schools, states should pursue tested measures endorsed by educators, students, and community members, and that have been borne out by precedent. States must commit to improving outcomes at struggling schools through programs and policies that reflect the six key principles developed by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools. As articulated in The Schools Our Children Deserve, school turnaround strategies should focus on:
• Curricula that are engaging, culturally relevant and challenging;
• High quality teaching rather than high-stakes testing;
• Wrap-around supports such as health care, eye care, and social and emotional services that support academics;
• Positive discipline practices such as restorative justice and social and emotional learning supports;
• Transformational parent and community engagement—the full community should actively participate in planning and decision-making; and
• Inclusive school leadership committed to developing strategic plans that include authentic input from teachers, parents, community partners, non-instructional school staff, youth, and other stakeholders.
• High quality teaching rather than high-stakes testing;
• Wrap-around supports such as health care, eye care, and social and emotional services that support academics;
• Positive discipline practices such as restorative justice and social and emotional learning supports;
• Transformational parent and community engagement—the full community should actively participate in planning and decision-making; and
• Inclusive school leadership committed to developing strategic plans that include authentic input from teachers, parents, community partners, non-instructional school staff, youth, and other stakeholders.
