The expectation that educators will use data in the service of school improvement and planning is a major feature of national and local reform agendas. Prior research has found that the principal plays a critical role in making policymakers' visions for data use a reality at the school and classroom levels. Most prior studies, however, have not…

In this comprehensive report, four distinct processes for reforming nine low-performing Title I schools in challenging high-poverty contexts are examined. These processes include: (1) a fundamentally grassroots, site-based model of reform; (2) locally mandated school reconstitution; (3) implementation of a proven national reform model, Success for…

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…