In 1984, the New York State Regents issued an action plan calling for changes in curriculum, high school graduation requirements, and educational standards. Histories of school reform indicate, however, that state legislation alone cannot successfully or permanently improve educational practice. This essay therefore surveys the history of federal and state-sponsored school reform efforts in New York State in the 20th century to identify general characteristics of these varying reform movements that distinguish successful from unsuccessful attempts to change New York's schools. Included are three of the major reforms that attempted to change schools in New York State before World War II: the Hanus Report of 1911-1913, the Rural School Survey of 1922, and the Regents' Inquiry of 1937. In the postwar era, the National Defense Education Act of 1957 and Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1975 are considered, along with state-initiated efforts such as the Fleischmann Commission and the Regents' Competency Testing Program. Data are presented topically, rather than chronologically; the essay begins with a brief examination of how changing contexts have shaped major reform efforts in the state's past, and then proceeds to a discussion of how past reform efforts have been affected by the specificity of their goals, their consistency, executive leadership asserted, resources, and provisions for accountability. The evidence indicates that reforms that are clearly articulated, consistent, and within the realm of existing knowledge have a greater likelihood of being implemented than those that pursue vague goals such as "excellence" and "good citizenship." Forty-eight notes are appended. (TE)