The Courts Won’t Save Us: Community Organizing, Political Advocacy, and Movement Lawyering in Houston ISD

When the state of Texas took control of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) in the summer of 2023, it marked the end of a multi-year legal battle between the district and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the beginning of a community-led campaign to re-take control of the district. Since, students and community groups have rallied to hold district and state leaders accountable with a simple demand: End the state takeover of HISD and return control of the district to the community. By drawing on case studies of state takeovers in other large, urban school districts, this paper provides critical insight into strategies that have been effective at ending takeovers across the country. As such, this conceptual paper explores strategies the HISD community could use to regain democratic control of their schools.