The Impact of School District Turnaround on Postsecondary Outcomes: Evidence From Lawrence, Massachusetts

Limited research examines the impact of accountability interventions on outcomes beyond test-based measures of short-term academic achievement. We examine the effects of the 2012 state takeover and district-wide turnaround of Massachusetts’s Lawrence Public Schools—a district serving a majority-low-income, majority-Hispanic student population—on high school and postsecondary outcomes using statewide, student-level data covering 2005–2006 to 2019–2020 and event study methods. These interventions have served as a model for other district turnaround efforts in the state and nationally. We find reforms improved high school graduation rates but find no impact on college enrollment and null to small negative effects on postsecondary persistence.