Countries around the world refer to twenty-first century education as essential to maintaining personal and national economic advantage and draw on this discourse to advocate for and embark on educational reform. This paper examines issues around education reform, particularly in British Columbia. It argues that reformers should give careful consideration to the latest research on successful reform drivers as articulated by Michael Fullan, examples of best practices as illustrated by the province of Ontario, and heed the U.S. attempt at reform as a cautionary tale. All these factors are crucial to implementing education reform in B.C., especially in the current challenging and contentious political climate.