States may find it tempting to take over failing school systems, but their track record in turning those districts around is mixed. According to the Education Commission of the States, 10 states have intervened in 49 school districts since the late 1980s. The latest examples are Pennsylvania, which took over Philadelphia's public schools in December, New York, which abolished the school board in Roosevelt School District in May, and Maryland, which seized control of Prince George's County schools in June. While states have had some success in straightening out financial and management problems in the districts, producing improvements in the classroom has proven a bigger challenge, and some states continue to run the troubled school districts many years later, reports Robert Frahm in The Hartford Courant. One recent study suggests that mayoral takeovers of school districts may be more effective than state takeovers at improving academic achievement, perhaps because state intervention is seen as a hostile act while city hall is perceived as more accountable to taxpayers and parents and city officials can enlist the help of civic leaders, according to Vanderbilt professor Kenneth Wong. For more, see "Across nation, mixed results," by Robert Frahm, The Hartford Courant, June 3, 2002. (available for a fee at www.ctnow.com).
