Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

State takeovers have emerged against a backdrop of financially distressed urban school districts and increased attention to achievement gaps. Since 1989, when New Jersey became the first state in the country to take over a school district, dozens of states have authorized takeovers. This trend is likely to continue as the recently reauthorized Every Student Succeeds Act creates an imperative for states to intervene in local schools when students fail to make sufficient academic improvement.

While state takeovers are an increasingly common phenomenon, how states intervene varies substantially and has evolved over time. This paper takes stock of state takeovers as a reform strategy, drawing upon recent examples of state interventions into local school systems that have emerged over the last 10 years.  I draw upon a review of state laws, interviews with state and local education leaders, and secondary source material to understand (1) How states have approached takeovers in different contexts; 2) Why states have used different mechanisms of intervention; and 3) The factors that have shaped what states do and accomplish when they intervene in local education systems.

I find that states have varied considerably in their design and execution of interventions into local school systems and that how states intervene affects their ability to manage the pace and scope of intervention and sustain reforms to school and district practice over time. I also find that the effectiveness of state takeovers as a reform strategy is shaped in substantial ways by state laws that govern provision of local schools, the availability of local talent and skilled support providers, and whether the state has sufficient political support for intervention. These mediating factors account for why state takeovers have a mixed record of success in localities where they have been tried.

This paper provides new evidence about the conditions that affect how state takeovers play out in practice and offers policy recommendations for states considering new options for addressing performance gaps in local education systems.