This study reports the results of a validation study of the Comprehensive School Restructuring Teacher Questionnaire (CSRTQ) and the School Observation Measure (SOM), which are intended for use in evaluating comprehensive school reform efforts. The CSRTQ, which putatively measures five factors related to school restructuring (internal focus,…

Presents the results of a study of student achievement, using a value-added testing technique, after 3 years of Memphis Restructuring Initiative. Findings show positive achievement gains in reform schools compared to demographically similar control schools, though strength of gains varied by type of reform and community poverty levels. (Contains…

Surveyed and interviewed Title I elementary teachers regarding their assessment practices in the first and fourth years of restructuring efforts. Schools in their fourth year of restructuring had significantly higher mean ratings on alternative assessment items than did schools in their first year. Differences were significant for portfolios and…

Comprehensive school reform (CSR), a federally funded program, is designed to raise student achievement via the implementation of whole school reforms. Unfortunately, although close to 400 CSR models have been adopted by schools nationally, there is relatively limited empirical evidence from rigorous research studies regarding the effectiveness of…

This study was designed to examine the effects of a whole school reform, the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), specifically designed to raise academic achievement of at-risk urban middle school students by establishing an extended school day and year, a rigorous curriculum, after-school access to teachers, and increased family-school connections.…

In attempting to scale up restructuring efforts, the Memphis Restructuring Initiative used various strategies to acquaint schools with designs, such as inviting school leadership teams to presentations, giving schools time to research designs and narrow choices, asking schools to submit "letters of intent," and selecting 34 schools,…

The first-year global evaluations of the eight design implementations in Memphis, Tennessee, are based on syntheses of data from multiple sources. Common strengths included revitalized schools and initiation of new school organizations and teaching strategies. Common concerns include the need for more focused training, teacher collaboration time,…

Examines implementation of various restructuring designs in 13 elementary schools in the culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse Sunland County Public School District (Florida). Preliminary findings indicate a variance in implementation across sites and suggest demographic and numeric shifts in student population, lack of teacher…

The longitudinal impacts on school change and student achievement of implementing varied Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) models was investigated in 12 elementary schools in diverse geographic locations. Each school was individually matched and compared to a demographically similar control school on measures of school climate, teacher…

Describes a comprehensive school reform initiative in one Memphis, Tennessee district. The restructuring started when the district began collaborating with New American Schools. Data from interviews, focus groups, surveys, observations, and student achievement records revealed which reform designs demonstrated the most progress in team building,…

The Memphis Restructuring Initiative's first-year data-gathering efforts have yielded implications for policy and practice. This article discusses findings and implications in seven areas: opportunity to choose, goals and directions, professional development, "constructivist" teaching and learning, authentic assessment, disjunctures…

The present research is a third-party study of the effects of the School Renaissance (SR) comprehensive school reform (CSR) model on student achievement in 11 elementary and middle schools in Texas. The primary measures used in the study were the Texas Learning Index (TLI) reading and mathematics scores obtained through administration of the Texas…