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ABSTRACT
A growing number of states are using state-run school districts to take over and improve persistently under-performing schools. There is a need for research on the policy discourse used by educational stakeholders to support or oppose school takeover. This study uses Georgia’s Opportunity School District to analyze the role of racist narratives in the policy discourse on state takeover. We find that the discourse supporting state takeover utilized common racist predispositions. In this article, we highlight the nuanced dynamics of the politics of state takeover as opponents of state takeover straddle both conservative and liberal principles to garner support, whereas supporters appeal to conservatives through coded language and racialized discourse.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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Notes on contributors
Richard O. Welsh
Richard O. Welsh is an assistant professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the Department of Administration, Leadership, and Technology at New York University. He studies the efficacy, equity, and political dimensions of education reform in urban school districts, with a particular emphasis on school choice policies, student mobility, and school discipline.
Sheneka Williams
Sheneka Williams is an associate professor of Educational Administration and Policy in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration and Policyat the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on educational opportunity across various contexts and micro-politics in school governance.
Shafiqua Little
Shafiqua Little is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on K-12 education policy, market based reforms, such as charter school, and issues of equality as it relates to school discipline.
Jerome Graham
Jerome Graham is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia. His research interests focus broadly on the interaction of race and class in educational policy and practice. Specifically, Jerome uses mixed-methods research designs to evaluate the effects of education reforms that target minority and disadvantaged students and the mechanism that drive such reforms.