Success for All (SFA) is a comprehensive whole-school approach designed to help high-poverty elementary schools increase the reading success of their students. It is designed to ensure success in grades K-2 and then build on this success in later grades. SFA combines instruction emphasizing phonics and cooperative learning, one-to-small group…

This article reviews research on the mathematics achievement outcomes of all programs with at least one study meeting inclusion criteria. 78 studies evaluated 61 programs in grades K-5. The studies were very high in quality, with 65 (83%) randomized and 13 (17%) quasi-experimental evaluations. Programs were organized in 8 categories. Particularly…

Evidence-based reform in education refers to policies that enable or encourage the use of programs and practices proven to be effective in rigorous research. This article discusses the increasing role of evidence in educational policy, rapid growth in availability of proven approaches, and development of reviews of research to summarize the…

Evidence-based reform is transforming education at all levels, both in providing effective models for use in schools and in linking policy to effective practice on a broad scale. As early education moves from a concern with effects of preschool versus no preschool to focus on creating and evaluating effective preschool models capable of improving…

A district-level reform model created by the Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education (CDDRE) provided consultation with district leaders on strategic use of data and selection of proven programs. Fifty-nine districts in seven states were randomly assigned to CDDRE or control conditions. A total of 397 elementary and 225 middle schools were…

Despite a quarter-century of reform, US schools serving students in poverty continue to lag far behind other schools. There are proven programs, but these are not widely used. This large-scale experiment evaluated a district-level reform model created by the Center for DataDriven Reform in Education (CDDRE). The CDDRE model provided consultation…

"Success for All" (SFA) is one of the best known and thoroughly evaluated school reform models. Further evaluation of the initiative is especially important for two reasons. First, the program model has continued to evolve over time, with a greater emphasis placed on the use of engaging technology in the classroom and on the deployment…

The role and importance of national reform network participation in the implementation of one of the most successful U.S. whole-school reform efforts--Success for ALL (SFA)--is profiled here. The paper explores this educational network beyond professional development and examines the relationship between participation in SFA's national reform…

If education is to make significant progress in the twenty-first century, it must embrace evidence-based reforms. Perhaps the most important requirement for evidence-based reform is the development of a substantial set of replicable programs and practices with strong evidence of effectiveness. Educators and policy makers must have a variety of…

This paper discusses comprehensive school reform (CSR), which accepts the importance of standards and accountability but adds to these strategies for introducing innovations in curriculum, instruction, school organization, governance, parent interactions, and other core features of practice. The paper reviews research on the nature and quality of…

Describes Roots & Wings, a comprehensive reform model for elementary schools that incorporates the elements of Success for All (R. Slavin, 1996), an approach based on standards from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the WorldLab social studies and science program. Presents research results from Texas and Maryland that found…

This report describes the Roots & Wings (R&W) program. It presents the research on R&W carried out to date and discusses R&W's impact on research, development, and evaluation for school reform in general. The program is an extension of the Success for All whole-school reform model. R&W took the existing reading, writing,…

This article reviews research on the achievement outcomes of alternative approaches for struggling readers in grades K-5: One-to-one tutoring, small group tutorials, classroom instructional process approaches, and computer-assisted instruction. Study inclusion criteria included use of randomized or well-matched control groups, study duration of at…

Success for All, a comprehensive schoolwide reform program for elementary schools serving many children placed at risk of school failure, was first piloted in one Baltimore elementary school in the 1987-88 school year. Success for All requires substantial change in many aspects of curriculum and instruction and extensive professional development…

The Success for All Middle School was designed to help middle grades educators implement the most important elements of Turning Points and to add well-structured curricula, instructional methods, and professional development for teachers to help students reach their full potential. The program is based on the Success for All elementary design, the…