Cooperation or conquest: A case study of school takeover

Abstract

School takeover has become an increasingly popular policy strategy to improve schools despite a lack of evidence that points toward its success in increasing student academic achievement. This case study focuses on the takeover of a rural school district in the Southeastern United States and utilizes the work of Paulo Freire to examine if the state’s actions are dialogic or antidialogic action. This qualitative explanatory case study leverages data from State press releases, policy documents, community meetings, and interviews with parent participants to conceptualize takeover as dialogic or antidialogic action. The findings of this study are organized around the domains of the theoretical framework: cooperation or conquest, divide and rule or unity for liberation, manipulation or organization, and cultural invasion or cultural synthesis.