Implementation of the Core Knowledge Sequence in 12 various schools across the United States is evaluated. Interviews and focus groups with teachers and principals reveal the nature of the reform program, local context, systemic and policy level forces, and the capacity for change impact on the implementation process. (MMU)

Presents an overview of the articles in this special issue and defines scaling up and externally developed school reform. Key elements for successful scaling up are highlighted. (MMU)

Uses data from a study of 13 multicultural, multilingual schools, each implementing one of 6 externally developed reform designs, to examine the implementation process from an interactive perspective. Concludes that, although schools and design team actions were influential, state and school district forces were more important in determining…

This article presents findings from a 4-year study of 13 culturally and linguistically diverse elementary schools implementing comprehensive school reform (CSR) models. The study focused on: (a) the actions at the state and district levels that facilitated or inhibited reform implementation; (b) the adaptability of the various reforms in…

The purpose of this article is to examine how the relationship between comprehensive school reform (CSR) and state accountability systems helps or hinders school improvement efforts. This article draws on case study data collected in schools in 3 states that received funding to implement reforms through the federal CSR program. Findings show that…

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Memphis are conducting an evaluation of the Memphis Restructuring Initiative's eight restructuring designs. This paper describes the methodology for the full longitudinal study, including design selection, staff training, planning, implementation issues, and outcomes. The research team…

Used qualitative data from two schools using the Success for All (SFA) program to examine how teachers responded to SFA and how their beliefs, experiences, and programmatic adaptations influenced implementation. Forty-seven interviews with teachers, principals, and SFA facilitators and 49 classroom observations showed that teachers fell into four…

Examines the politics that arise in the research and evaluation of school reform efforts, drawing on qualitative data from a study of comprehensive school reform to elucidate methodological issues in several areas; discussing how the researchers were perceived, how participants used researchers' research and presence in political ways, and how…

This article addresses the sustainability of comprehensive school reform (CSR) models in the face of turbulent district and state contexts. It draws on qualitative data gathered in a longitudinal case study of six CSR models implemented in 13 schools in one urban district. Why do reforms sustain in some schools and not in others? How do changing…

Describes how one elementary school implemented a New American School Design, the Audrey Cohen College System of Education, using interview data to describe local adaptations to and experiences with the design and highlight how political and economic conditions negatively affected implementation. By the program's third year, there was no evidence…