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…

The purpose of this review is to learn from rigorous evaluations of alternative technology applications how features of using technology programs and characteristics of their evaluations affect reading outcomes for students in grades K-12. The review applies consistent inclusion standards to focus on studies that met high methodological standards.…

"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…

Describes Success for All reading program, its development in Baltimore and Philadelphia, and recent study evaluating its replication in 15 schools in 7 states. Program clearly improves student reading performance. Evaluations for previous years show program's effectiveness in Baltimore and Philadelphia. The longer a school remains in the program,…

Studied the effects of two adaptations of the Success for All program, a Spanish bilingual version (Exito para Todos) and an adaptation that integrates English-as-a-Second-Language strategies with English reading instruction using data from six studies. Notes substantially positive effects of both approaches on students acquiring English. (SLD)

The relationship between participation in national reform network activities and the quality of the Success for All program implementation is examined. Results of a research survey of principals and facilitators indicate that the success of the reform program relies on networking among teachers and schools through participation in national…

Comprehensive school-reform models like the Accelerated Schools Project stress professional development and give educators specific, research-based strategies to address essential requirements for enhancing academic achievement. The federal Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration initiative provides necessary funding. Information sources and…

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 (Maryland) elementary school in the 1987-88 school year. Since then, the program has expanded rapidly; as of 1998-99, it was in more than 1,100 schools in 300 districts in 44…

If education is to halt the ever-swinging pendulum and make significant progress in student achievement, it must first change the ground rules for selecting, implementing, evaluating, and institutionalizing innovations like Hunter's model. This article proposes steps for providing an infrastructure capable of promoting lasting and beneficial…

This paper describes comprehensive cooperative learning approaches for elementary-school reading, writing, and mathematics. Team-Assisted Individualization (TAI) and Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) are used to implement principles of cooperative learning throughout schools, among teachers and administrators as well as…

Focuses on how basic research on psychological principles eventually leads to practical classroom programs. A case study is presented of a classroom program based on psychological research. Inferences are made regarding the problems of transforming basic research into practical classroom programs. (Author/DB)

This study reports results of the first year of implementation of the Success for All elementary school restructuring program in kindergarten through third grade at Philadelphia's Francis Scott Key Elementary School. Fifty-two percent of the students were from Asian backgrounds, primarily Cambodian, and spoke little or no English at home. In the…

This report explores the technical, political, and socio-cultural dimensions of the scaling up process of Success for All (SFA), one of the nation's most successful and extensively researched whole-school change models. SFA, a reform effort aimed at elementary schools serving disadvantaged children, is currently being implemented in over 475…

"Success for All" is described as a program in which instructional services are relentlessly applied until all children with disabilities succeed. The program's goal is to prevent learning deficits from developing in the first place and to intervene early and intensively when they do occur. Costs of the program are briefly discussed.…

This paper presents a summary of data from one program, Success for All, that is in the process of making the transition from local pilot to national model. Earlier evaluations of Success for All in its original home, Baltimore (Maryland), have shown that it can be highly successful in increasing reading achievement among very disadvantaged…