The Effect of School Reconstitution on Student Achievement in Texas

• In Event: 52.085 - Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: 52.085-4 - Accountability Policies at the Local, State, and National Levels

Abstract

School reconstitution "involves...removing a school’s incumbent administrators and teachers (or large percentages of them) and replacing them," to improve academic performance (Rice and Malen, 2003). The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act specified federal sanctions for schools receiving Title 1 funds that included reconstitution. In 2003, Texas passed SB 618, formalizing the identification and timeline for reconstituting schools, regardless of their Title 1 status; after two years of academically unacceptable performance, a school is required to reconstitute (SB 618 §39.132b). In Texas, 281 schools reconstituted through state or federal provisions between 2003 and 2011. This study uses individual student data from Texas and determines that the threat of school reconstitution does improve student academic achievement, though reconstitution itself does not.

Author

• Greg Cumpton, The University of Texas - Austin