Abstract
This article examines the impact of gubernatorial turnover on education policy initiatives in Florida, New York, and Texas. Within the past decade, each of these states was led by a Democratic governor; followed by a Republican successor: Has partisan turnover in the governorship substantially changed the nature, scope, and direction of education reform initiatives? Does it matter whether the governor is a Democrat or a Republican? After reviewing the political writings, campaigns, and actions of governors in each state, the author identifies several national and state-level forces-the economy, state constitutional constraints, an emerging elite ideological consensus, and the necessity to drive toward the conservative middle-that have created conditions in which partisan gubernatorial control matters less than previous research suggests.

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