Josh Bleiberg Receives National NAEd/Spencer Fellowship
He will examine justifications for state school takeovers nationwide over the past three decades
Assistant Professor Joshua Bleiberg has received a 2026 National Academy of Education and Spencer Foundation (NAEd/Spencer) Postdoctoral Fellowship. The fellowship provides $70,000 in funding and professional development to early career scholars whose projects address critical issues in education.
Bleiberg, who studies education policy, is one of 25 scholars selected from a pool of nearly 500 applicants nationwide.
During his NAEd fellowship, Bleiberg will complete a study titled, “Interrogating the Color-Blind Justifications for State Takeover of School Districts.” The research will explore whether state takeovers—which disproportionately occur in districts serving large proportions of Black students—perpetuate racism by removing democratic control from Black communities.
“States cite poor fiscal management and low student outcomes as the legal justification for takeover. However, there is reason to be skeptical because many privileged communities have avoided takeover,” Bleiberg said.
Drawing on a national data set that includes every state takeover from 1987-88 to 2025-26, the project will explore factors related to student test scores and fiscal conditions at school districts, as well as measures for structural racism and political representation.
In the study, the measures for structural racism will encompass five areas: economics, education, healthcare, housing, and policing. Political representation will be measured by the presence of Black officials on school boards, state legislatures, city councils, and other government agencies.
“The NAEd/Spencer Dissertation and Postdoctoral Fellowships represent significant investments in the fellows and the future of education research,” said Okhee Lee, chair of the NAEd professional development committee. “These fellowships are more crucial than ever given the recent dramatic declines in education research funding.”
In his research, Bleiberg uses quantitative methods to study education policies and governance structures from an equity-based lens. He also studies standards-based reforms, intergovernmental relations, and teacher labor markets.
“Takeover is unique because the reform is primarily to the governance of a school district rather than the implementation of a policy or practice. I believe understanding governance is critical to improving schools,” Bleiberg said.
State takeovers in Pennsylvania have occurred in Western Pennsylvania at the Clairton City, Duquesne City, and Sto-Rox school districts. Wilkinsburg schools are currently under financial watch status, which could lead to a takeover if fiscal conditions continue to degrade, Bleiberg said.
Prior to joining the School of Education in 2022, Bleiberg was a postdoctoral research associate in school reform at Brown University’s Annenberg Institute. He earned his PhD in leadership, policy, and organization from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College.
Additional School of Education faculty and PhD students to receive the NAEd/Spencer Fellowships include:
- briana rodríguez – Dissertation Fellowship (2024)
- Heather McCambly – Postdoctoral Fellowship (2023)
- Xu Qin – Postdoctoral Fellowship (2022)
- David Smith – Dissertation Fellowship (2022)
- Alberto Guzman – Dissertation Fellowship (2021)
- Shanyce Campbell – Postdoctoral Fellowship (2019)
- Jamie Amemiya and Oscar E. Patrón – Dissertation Fellowships (2019)
