Race to the top and the diffusion of state education intervention policy in the American states

This study aims to explain the adoption and spread of school turnaround legislation in the American states. While turnaround policy started in New Jersey in 1989, it did not spread rapidly or widely until the eras of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top (RTTT). We specifically address how RTTT leveraged a coercive federalism that helped propel policies like school turnarounds. Using data on turnaround adoptions from 1989 to 2019 and applying diffusion of innovations theory, we find evidence that ideological learning and RTTT competition relate to the policy's spread among the states, though there is stronger evidence for a horizontal diffusion than a vertical one. The findings build on a growing literature regarding the dynamics of federal oversight in policy diffusion and contribute to understanding how competitive incentives like RTTT can have ripple effects on nonwinning states. Related Articles: Butz, Adam M., Michael P. Fix, and Joshua L. Mitchell. 2015. “Policy Learning and the Diffusion of Stand-Your-Ground Laws.” Politics & Policy 43(3): 347–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12116. Maranto, Robert, Julie Trivitt, Malachi Nichols, and Angela Watson. 2017. “No Contractual Obligation to Improve Education: School Boards and Their Superintendents.” Politics & Policy 45(6): 1003–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12216. Satterthwaite, Shad. 2002. “State Charter School Adoptions: A Probit Regression Model.” Politics & Policy 30(1): 32–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2002.tb00633.x.