States are creating “Turnaround Districts” to tackle bottom 5% schools

Nevada recently passed legislation to create its own Achievement School District to takeover bottom 5% schools in its State.  In the works currently are several other States planning their own recovery/achievement turnaround districts including Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.  Additionally, numerous States currently have the power to place individual failing schools in receivership and assign a new “Receiver” (CMO) to run the school including Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, with New York considering it. 

A recent report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute “Redefining the School District in America” talks about the rising trend in the U.S. of States trying to create turnaround districts that takeover bottom 5% schools from local school districts to introduce new governance and a portfolio of options for school management. 

The most infamous and first of these States was Louisiana whose Recovery School District rose to national prominence after Hurricane Katrina leveled the existing school system and provided a small window through which most of the city’s schools could eventually be handed over to charter school operators.  Tennessee followed with the Achievement School District and so did Michigan with the Education Achievement Authority. 

There’s a growing critical mass of States trying to take decisive action in the intervention of failing schools that would break up the public monopoly long held over parents with no options other than their local, chronically failing school.   Tennessee and Michigan have struggled to find and recruit enough charter management operators to meet the demand for all of their failing, takeover schools. 

The demand for school turnarounds appears to be rising as evidenced by the pending or proposed legislation in all of these States.  Will the supply of school turnaround charter operators rise to meet this demand?