The following research review is a companion to "Transforming Education for Holistic Student Development: Learning from Education System (Re)building Around the World" (Datnow et al., 2022), a summary report that explores the work of building and rebuilding education systems to support holistic student development in six systems around…

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…

Early observations of 13 culturally and linguistically diverse elementary schools, each of which is implementing one of six internally-developed school restructuring designs, are reported here. The schools are all located in one demographically diverse county, and the restructuring process occurred over a 4-year period. The study examined a range…

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…

This paper describes a 3-year evaluation of Core Knowledge Sequence implementation in 12 schools nationwide. The Core Knowledge Sequence, a whole-school curricular reform model, provides a planned progression of specific topics to teach in language arts, history, geography, math, science, and fine arts for grades 4-6. The evaluation determined…

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…

This research report argues for viewing the complex, often messy process of school reform implementation as a "conditional matrix" coupled with qualitative research. As illustration, two studies (of six reform efforts in one county and of implementation of an untracking program in Kentucky) are reported. Preliminary analysis reveals that…

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…