The prevailing mental model of schooling is a series of linear events resulting in an educated individual. To make a school a learning organization requires systems thinking, interconnected team learning, and the collective intelligence of shared and personal vision. (SK)

Provides an overview of research in educational implementation studies and presents guidelines on what works, and what does not, regardless of ideological bent toward educational change. (MMU)

One study of corporate culture and another of the Network of Restructuring Schools identified factors related to innovations: (1) they vary in quality and uniqueness; (2) they are hampered by conflicting expectations, traditions, and inertia; and (3) they can be nurtured by school culture. (SK)

Urges renewal and revitalization to sustain middle school reform. Discusses the nature of middle school reform as an ongoing process of refining middle school concepts, practices, or programs to make them better for students. Highlights articles in this issue. (JPB)

Describes Pathways to High School Success, a restructured high school program created by the Rochester City (New York) School District to allow students to earn a diploma in 3, 4, or 5 years. (PKP)

A key provision of No Child Left Behind is the opportunity for students to transfer from a low-performing school to a high-performing one. Drawing from a case study of school reform in Charlotte, North Carolina, this article examines the implementation and early outcomes of NCLB's voluntary transfer option for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School…

Comprehensive school reform (CSR) projects are being funded throughout the United States in a determined effort to improve the performance of public education. The multidimensional nature of comprehensive school reform presents unique challenges for explaining widely discrepant outcomes among schools. These challenges are addressed in a study of 8…

While national professional organizations have masterfully crafted standards in an effort to guide school reform and curriculum, a vast chasm has developed between implementation and assessment. Many of these standards, which are inquiry-based and liberating to teachers and students, are, in actual practice at the state level, neither of these.…

Success for All (SFA)[R] is a whole-school reform model that includes a reading, writing, and oral language development program for students in prekindergarten through eighth grade. Classroom reading instruction is delivered in daily 90-minute blocks to students grouped by reading ability. Immediate intervention with tutors who are certified…

Since the 1960s, there have been continuing federal efforts to bring reform to scale in high-poverty elementary and secondary schools across the U.S. This paper traces the evolution of these efforts and discusses their impacts on achievement outcomes. Drawing on evidence from meta-analyses of the Title I evaluation literature and the Comprehensive…

It is well established that teacher quality is one of the most significant school influences on student achievement. Unfortunately, it is less clear how teacher preparation programs can prepare and recruit effective educators for every classroom. As the global economy demands that all students are college and career ready after high school,…

Across the country, educators in schools that have not met their targets for improved student learning are considering next steps. As a first step, a school improvement plan that is grounded in data and based on a comprehensive needs assessment can provide a framework for effecting change for a school's programming, student support systems, and…

This report summarizes program evaluation results from Austin Independent School District's 2007-2008 high school Student Advisory/Family Advocacy Program.

In many educational jurisdictions, the responses to student disengagement and behaviour problems have been restrictive or punitive; they include on-site police officers, locker searches, metal detectors, and zero tolerance policies. There is little evidence that such strategies are effective in changing behaviour, attitudes, or achievement.…

The purpose of this guide is to help chronically struggling schools restructure. "Restructuring" means major, rapid changes that affect how a school is led and how instruction is delivered. Restructuring is essential in achieving rapid improvements in student learning. The focus is on helping education leaders choose strategies that…