Although state takeover of low-performing schools is not a new phenomenon in American education, it has seldom been exercised. Takeover actions exist in 11 states--Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia--but only New Jersey and Kentucky have exercised steps leading to…

Jonathan Kozol challenges politicians of both parties to confront the economic and political issues that deprive the poor of equal education. Criticisms of current policies include the following: (1) dependence on property taxes penalizes the poor; (2) local control protects privilege and oppresses minorities; (3) education has been removed from…

Following a brief preface, chapter 1 of this study discusses the federal government's expanding role over the last half century, including changing federal and state responsibilities in education. While chapter 2 describes the study's conceptual framework, its methodology, the criteria used for selecting eight states for analysis, and the major…