Not Like Us

An Exploration of Urban Educators’ Motivation During a State Takeover in Texas

Bibliographic Data

ID22416730
AuthorsVirginia Redwine Johnson (0000-0002-4489-0848, Department of Teaching Learning and Culture, Texas A&M University at College Station), Virginia Johnson (Texas A&M University, corresponding author), John A Williams Iii (0000-0002-8561-468X, Department of Teaching Learning and Culture, Texas A&M University at College Station)
Year2026
Pages1-16
Publication date2026-03-14
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Teacher Educator (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0887-8730 • E-ISSN: 1938-8101
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/08878730.2026.2640541
OpenAlexW7135382041
LanguageEN
References cited19

Since 1989, more than 100 U.S. districts have undergone state takeovers, yet durable gains remain rare. This study centers educators’ voices during the 2023 takeover of Houston ISD. Using an emergent qualitative design, we interviewed nine educators and analyzed transcripts with a hybrid approach pairing inductive coding with deductive codes from Two-Factor Theory and Racialized Organizational Theory. We examined how educators experienced the takeover and how it shaped motivation and satisfaction. Hygiene conditions, including unclear communication, volatile supervision, job insecurity, and scripted curricula, produced widespread dissatisfaction, while motivators such as autonomy, recognition, and purpose were simultaneously diminished. Participants described exclusion from decisions and devaluation of community-rooted expertise. Patterns aligned with racialized allocations of agency and decoupling between messaging and classroom practice. We provide an integrated account of how reform erodes working conditions and intrinsic drivers of engagement and outline implications: participatory governance, autonomy with guardrails, change logs, and equity-focused leadership.

Higher education · Public education · State action · State government · Place Attachment and Urban Studies · School Choice and Performance · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

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