Will state takeover improve Georgia schools?

In November, voters in Georgia will decide whether to give the state unprecedented power to take control of failing schools. Pushed by Gov. Nathan Deal, the Opportunity School District proposal is based on education models in New Orleans and Tennessee.

So, what do those models tell us about the success of state takeovers? The Recovery School District in New Orleans has had greater success than Tennessee’s Achievement School District, which is the model that Georgia will most closely resemble.

New Orleans converted its old neighborhood schools to charters, essentially ending zoned schools. Georgia’s proposal would not dismantle school zones. Unlike New Orleans, students here will not be able to attend any city or county school. It’s a critical difference because demographic characteristics such as poverty correlate with academic performance, and property values tend to reflect performance, too. Schools in poor communities tend to do poorly, while schools in middle-class neighborhoods typically do better.