When improvement programs collide

Phi Delta Kappan

Volumn 83, Issue 8, 1999, Pages 626-639

  Hatch, Thomas ^a  

^a GEOPHYSICAL LABORATORY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0042780804     PISSN: 00317217     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/003172170208300812     Document Type: Article

References (42)

1. David Tyack, The One Best System: A History of American Urban Education (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1974).
2. Anthony S. Bryk et al., Charting Chicago School Reform: Democratic Localism as a Lever for Change (Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1998); Joseph P. McDonald, "When Outsiders Try to Change Schools from the Inside," Phi Delta Kappan, November 1989, pp. 206-12; and Olatokunbo S. Fashola and Robert E. Slavin, "Schoolwide Reform Models: What Works?," Phi Delta Kappan, January 1998, pp. 370-79.
3. Anthony S. Bryk et al., Charting Chicago School Reform: Democratic Localism as a Lever for Change (Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1998); Joseph P. McDonald, "When Outsiders Try to Change Schools from the Inside," Phi Delta Kappan, November 1989, pp. 206-12; and Olatokunbo S. Fashola and Robert E. Slavin, "Schoolwide Reform Models: What Works?," Phi Delta Kappan, January 1998, pp. 370-79.
4. Anthony S. Bryk et al., Charting Chicago School Reform: Democratic Localism as a Lever for Change (Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1998); Joseph P. McDonald, "When Outsiders Try to Change Schools from the Inside," Phi Delta Kappan, November 1989, pp. 206-12; and Olatokunbo S. Fashola and Robert E. Slavin, "Schoolwide Reform Models: What Works?," Phi Delta Kappan, January 1998, pp. 370-79.
5. Bryk et al., op. cit.; CSRD in the Field: Fall 1999 Update (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 1999); Chester E. Finn, Jr., "The Politics of Change," in Diane Ravitch and Joseph Viteritti, eds., New Schools for a New Century: The Redesign of Urban Education (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1997), pp. 226-50; Michael Fullan, Change Forces: The Sequel (London: Palmer Press, 1999); Thomas R. Guskey, "Integrating Innovations," Educational Leadership, February 1990, pp. 11-15; Frederick M. Hess, Spinning Wheels: The Politics of Urban School Reform (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1999); and Paul T. Hill, Lawrence C. Pierce, and James W. Guthrie, Reinventing Public Education: How Contracting Can Transform America's Schools (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997).
6. Bryk et al., op. cit.; CSRD in the Field: Fall 1999 Update (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 1999); Chester E. Finn, Jr., "The Politics of Change," in Diane Ravitch and Joseph Viteritti, eds., New Schools for a New Century: The Redesign of Urban Education (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1997), pp. 226-50; Michael Fullan, Change Forces: The Sequel (London: Palmer Press, 1999); Thomas R. Guskey, "Integrating Innovations," Educational Leadership, February 1990, pp. 11-15; Frederick M. Hess, Spinning Wheels: The Politics of Urban School Reform (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1999); and Paul T. Hill, Lawrence C. Pierce, and James W. Guthrie, Reinventing Public Education: How Contracting Can Transform America's Schools (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997).
7. Bryk et al., op. cit.; CSRD in the Field: Fall 1999 Update (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 1999); Chester E. Finn, Jr., "The Politics of Change," in Diane Ravitch and Joseph Viteritti, eds., New Schools for a New Century: The Redesign of Urban Education (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1997), pp. 226-50; Michael Fullan, Change Forces: The Sequel (London: Palmer Press, 1999); Thomas R. Guskey, "Integrating Innovations," Educational Leadership, February 1990, pp. 11-15; Frederick M. Hess, Spinning Wheels: The Politics of Urban School Reform (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1999); and Paul T. Hill, Lawrence C. Pierce, and James W. Guthrie, Reinventing Public Education: How Contracting Can Transform America's Schools (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997).
8. Bryk et al., op. cit.; CSRD in the Field: Fall 1999 Update (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 1999); Chester E. Finn, Jr., "The Politics of Change," in Diane Ravitch and Joseph Viteritti, eds., New Schools for a New Century: The Redesign of Urban Education (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1997), pp. 226-50; Michael Fullan, Change Forces: The Sequel (London: Palmer Press, 1999); Thomas R. Guskey, "Integrating Innovations," Educational Leadership, February 1990, pp. 11-15; Frederick M. Hess, Spinning Wheels: The Politics of Urban School Reform (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1999); and Paul T. Hill, Lawrence C. Pierce, and James W. Guthrie, Reinventing Public Education: How Contracting Can Transform America's Schools (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997).
9. Bryk et al., op. cit.; CSRD in the Field: Fall 1999 Update (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 1999); Chester E. Finn, Jr., "The Politics of Change," in Diane Ravitch and Joseph Viteritti, eds., New Schools for a New Century: The Redesign of Urban Education (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1997), pp. 226-50; Michael Fullan, Change Forces: The Sequel (London: Palmer Press, 1999); Thomas R. Guskey, "Integrating Innovations," Educational Leadership, February 1990, pp. 11-15; Frederick M. Hess, Spinning Wheels: The Politics of Urban School Reform (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1999); and Paul T. Hill, Lawrence C. Pierce, and James W. Guthrie, Reinventing Public Education: How Contracting Can Transform America's Schools (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997).
10. Bryk et al., op. cit.; CSRD in the Field: Fall 1999 Update (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 1999); Chester E. Finn, Jr., "The Politics of Change," in Diane Ravitch and Joseph Viteritti, eds., New Schools for a New Century: The Redesign of Urban Education (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1997), pp. 226-50; Michael Fullan, Change Forces: The Sequel (London: Palmer Press, 1999); Thomas R. Guskey, "Integrating Innovations," Educational Leadership, February 1990, pp. 11-15; Frederick M. Hess, Spinning Wheels: The Politics of Urban School Reform (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1999); and Paul T. Hill, Lawrence C. Pierce, and James W. Guthrie, Reinventing Public Education: How Contracting Can Transform America's Schools (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997).
11. Bryk et al., op. cit.; CSRD in the Field: Fall 1999 Update (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 1999); Chester E. Finn, Jr., "The Politics of Change," in Diane Ravitch and Joseph Viteritti, eds., New Schools for a New Century: The Redesign of Urban Education (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1997), pp. 226-50; Michael Fullan, Change Forces: The Sequel (London: Palmer Press, 1999); Thomas R. Guskey, "Integrating Innovations," Educational Leadership, February 1990, pp. 11-15; Frederick M. Hess, Spinning Wheels: The Politics of Urban School Reform (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1999); and Paul T. Hill, Lawrence C. Pierce, and James W. Guthrie, Reinventing Public Education: How Contracting Can Transform America's Schools (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997).
12. Hess, op. cit.; and Frederick M. Wirt and Michael W. Kirst, The Politics of Education: Schools in Conflict (Berkeley, Calif: McCutchan, 1989).
13. Hess, op. cit.; and Frederick M. Wirt and Michael W. Kirst, The Politics of Education: Schools in Conflict (Berkeley, Calif: McCutchan, 1989).
14. It is worth keeping in mind that the programs reviewed for this study differ substantially in the demands they place on schools and how much capacity a school may need to carry them out. However, when these programs attempt to promote comprehensive changes or are used as a part of a comprehensive improvement, these issues of school capacity become particularly critical.
15. For discussions of the importance and difficulty of selecting programs that fit the needs and interests of schools, see Samuel Stringfield, Steven Ross, and Lana Smith, Bold Plans for School Restructuring: The New American Schools Development Corporation Designs (Mahwah, N.J.: Erlbaum, 1996); Susan Bodilly, Lessons from New American Schools' Scale-Up Phase: Prospects for Bringing Designs to Multiple Schools (Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, 1998); Amanda Datnow, "Implementing an Externally Developed School Restructuring Design: Enablers, Constraints, and Tensions," paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, 1998; and Samuel Stringfield et al., "Scaling Up School Restructuring in Multicultural, Multilingual Contexts: Early Observations from Sunland County," Education and Urban Society, vol. 30, 1998, pp. 326-57.
16. For discussions of the importance and difficulty of selecting programs that fit the needs and interests of schools, see Samuel Stringfield, Steven Ross, and Lana Smith, Bold Plans for School Restructuring: The New American Schools Development Corporation Designs (Mahwah, N.J.: Erlbaum, 1996); Susan Bodilly, Lessons from New American Schools' Scale-Up Phase: Prospects for Bringing Designs to Multiple Schools (Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, 1998); Amanda Datnow, "Implementing an Externally Developed School Restructuring Design: Enablers, Constraints, and Tensions," paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, 1998; and Samuel Stringfield et al., "Scaling Up School Restructuring in Multicultural, Multilingual Contexts: Early Observations from Sunland County," Education and Urban Society, vol. 30, 1998, pp. 326-57.
17. For discussions of the importance and difficulty of selecting programs that fit the needs and interests of schools, see Samuel Stringfield, Steven Ross, and Lana Smith, Bold Plans for School Restructuring: The New American Schools Development Corporation Designs (Mahwah, N.J.: Erlbaum, 1996); Susan Bodilly, Lessons from New American Schools' Scale-Up Phase: Prospects for Bringing Designs to Multiple Schools (Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, 1998); Amanda Datnow, "Implementing an Externally Developed School Restructuring Design: Enablers, Constraints, and Tensions," paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, 1998; and Samuel Stringfield et al., "Scaling Up School Restructuring in Multicultural, Multilingual Contexts: Early Observations from Sunland County," Education and Urban Society, vol. 30, 1998, pp. 326-57.
18. For discussions of the importance and difficulty of selecting programs that fit the needs and interests of schools, see Samuel Stringfield, Steven Ross, and Lana Smith, Bold Plans for School Restructuring: The New American Schools Development Corporation Designs (Mahwah, N.J.: Erlbaum, 1996); Susan Bodilly, Lessons from New American Schools' Scale-Up Phase: Prospects for Bringing Designs to Multiple Schools (Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, 1998); Amanda Datnow, "Implementing an Externally Developed School Restructuring Design: Enablers, Constraints, and Tensions," paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, 1998; and Samuel Stringfield et al., "Scaling Up School Restructuring in Multicultural, Multilingual Contexts: Early Observations from Sunland County," Education and Urban Society, vol. 30, 1998, pp. 326-57.
19. Wesley M. Cohen and Daniel A. Levinthal, "Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation," Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 35, 1990, pp. 128-52; Raghu Garud, Praveen Rattan Nayyar, and Zur Baruch Shapira, eds., Technological Innovation: Oversights and Foresights (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997); Thomas Hatch, "What Does It Take to Break the Mold? Rhetoric and Reality in New American Schools," Teachers College Record, vol. 102, 2000, pp. 561-89; Mariann Jelinek, "Organizational Entrepreneurship in Mature-Industry Firms: Foresight, Oversight, and Invisibility," in Garud, Nayyar, and Shapira, pp. 181-213; and James March, "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, vol. 2, 1991, pp. 71-87.
20. Wesley M. Cohen and Daniel A. Levinthal, "Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation," Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 35, 1990, pp. 128-52; Raghu Garud, Praveen Rattan Nayyar, and Zur Baruch Shapira, eds., Technological Innovation: Oversights and Foresights (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997); Thomas Hatch, "What Does It Take to Break the Mold? Rhetoric and Reality in New American Schools," Teachers College Record, vol. 102, 2000, pp. 561-89; Mariann Jelinek, "Organizational Entrepreneurship in Mature-Industry Firms: Foresight, Oversight, and Invisibility," in Garud, Nayyar, and Shapira, pp. 181-213; and James March, "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, vol. 2, 1991, pp. 71-87.
21. Wesley M. Cohen and Daniel A. Levinthal, "Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation," Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 35, 1990, pp. 128-52; Raghu Garud, Praveen Rattan Nayyar, and Zur Baruch Shapira, eds., Technological Innovation: Oversights and Foresights (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997); Thomas Hatch, "What Does It Take to Break the Mold? Rhetoric and Reality in New American Schools," Teachers College Record, vol. 102, 2000, pp. 561-89; Mariann Jelinek, "Organizational Entrepreneurship in Mature-Industry Firms: Foresight, Oversight, and Invisibility," in Garud, Nayyar, and Shapira, pp. 181-213; and James March, "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, vol. 2, 1991, pp. 71-87.
22. Wesley M. Cohen and Daniel A. Levinthal, "Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation," Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 35, 1990, pp. 128-52; Raghu Garud, Praveen Rattan Nayyar, and Zur Baruch Shapira, eds., Technological Innovation: Oversights and Foresights (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997); Thomas Hatch, "What Does It Take to Break the Mold? Rhetoric and Reality in New American Schools," Teachers College Record, vol. 102, 2000, pp. 561-89; Mariann Jelinek, "Organizational Entrepreneurship in Mature-Industry Firms: Foresight, Oversight, and Invisibility," in Garud, Nayyar, and Shapira, pp. 181-213; and James March, "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, vol. 2, 1991, pp. 71-87.
23. Wesley M. Cohen and Daniel A. Levinthal, "Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation," Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 35, 1990, pp. 128-52; Raghu Garud, Praveen Rattan Nayyar, and Zur Baruch Shapira, eds., Technological Innovation: Oversights and Foresights (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997); Thomas Hatch, "What Does It Take to Break the Mold? Rhetoric and Reality in New American Schools," Teachers College Record, vol. 102, 2000, pp. 561-89; Mariann Jelinek, "Organizational Entrepreneurship in Mature-Industry Firms: Foresight, Oversight, and Invisibility," in Garud, Nayyar, and Shapira, pp. 181-213; and James March, "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, vol. 2, 1991, pp. 71-87.
24. For an analysis of the financial costs of implementing the initiatives of one comprehensive reform program at a time, see Allan Odden, "The Costs of Sustaining Educational Change Through Comprehensive School Reform," Phi Delta Kappan, February 2000, pp. 433-38.
25. See, for example, Donald A. Schön and Joseph P. McDonald, Doing What You Mean to Do in School Reform (Providence, R.I.: Brown University, 1998); Carol H. Weiss, "Nothing as Practical as Good Theory," in James P. Connell et al., eds., New Approaches to Evaluating Community Initiatives (Aspen, Colo.: Aspen Institute, 1995), pp. 65-92; and Milbrey McLaughlin, "Supporting Teachers' Learning and Community: Theories of Action in Four Reform Movements," paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997.
26. See, for example, Donald A. Schön and Joseph P. McDonald, Doing What You Mean to Do in School Reform (Providence, R.I.: Brown University, 1998); Carol H. Weiss, "Nothing as Practical as Good Theory," in James P. Connell et al., eds., New Approaches to Evaluating Community Initiatives (Aspen, Colo.: Aspen Institute, 1995), pp. 65-92; and Milbrey McLaughlin, "Supporting Teachers' Learning and Community: Theories of Action in Four Reform Movements," paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997.
27. See, for example, Donald A. Schön and Joseph P. McDonald, Doing What You Mean to Do in School Reform (Providence, R.I.: Brown University, 1998); Carol H. Weiss, "Nothing as Practical as Good Theory," in James P. Connell et al., eds., New Approaches to Evaluating Community Initiatives (Aspen, Colo.: Aspen Institute, 1995), pp. 65-92; and Milbrey McLaughlin, "Supporting Teachers' Learning and Community: Theories of Action in Four Reform Movements," paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997.
28. Bryk et al., op. cit.; Fullan, op. cit.; Thomas Hatch, "Differences in Theory That Matter in the Practice of School Improvement," American Educational Research Journal, vol. 35, 1998, pp. 3-32; and Joseph P. McDonald et al., School Reform Behind the Scenes (New York: Teachers College Press, 1999).
29. Bryk et al., op. cit.; Fullan, op. cit.; Thomas Hatch, "Differences in Theory That Matter in the Practice of School Improvement," American Educational Research Journal, vol. 35, 1998, pp. 3-32; and Joseph P. McDonald et al., School Reform Behind the Scenes (New York: Teachers College Press, 1999).
30. Bryk et al., op. cit.; Fullan, op. cit.; Thomas Hatch, "Differences in Theory That Matter in the Practice of School Improvement," American Educational Research Journal, vol. 35, 1998, pp. 3-32; and Joseph P. McDonald et al., School Reform Behind the Scenes (New York: Teachers College Press, 1999).
31. Bryk et al., op. cit.; Fullan, op. cit.; Thomas Hatch, "Differences in Theory That Matter in the Practice of School Improvement," American Educational Research Journal, vol. 35, 1998, pp. 3-32; and Joseph P. McDonald et al., School Reform Behind the Scenes (New York: Teachers College Press, 1999).
32. Liane Brouillette, A Geology of School Reform: The Successive Restructurings of a School District (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996); Donna Muncey and Patrick McQuillan, "The Dangers of Assuming Consensus for Change," in G. Alfred Hess, Jr., ed., Empowering Teachers and Parents: School Restructuring Through the Eyes of Anthropologists (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1992), pp. 47-69; and Diana Tittle, Welcome to Heights High: The Crippling Politics of Restructuring America's Public Schools (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1995).
33. Liane Brouillette, A Geology of School Reform: The Successive Restructurings of a School District (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996); Donna Muncey and Patrick McQuillan, "The Dangers of Assuming Consensus for Change," in G. Alfred Hess, Jr., ed., Empowering Teachers and Parents: School Restructuring Through the Eyes of Anthropologists (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1992), pp. 47-69; and Diana Tittle, Welcome to Heights High: The Crippling Politics of Restructuring America's Public Schools (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1995).
34. Liane Brouillette, A Geology of School Reform: The Successive Restructurings of a School District (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996); Donna Muncey and Patrick McQuillan, "The Dangers of Assuming Consensus for Change," in G. Alfred Hess, Jr., ed., Empowering Teachers and Parents: School Restructuring Through the Eyes of Anthropologists (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1992), pp. 47-69; and Diana Tittle, Welcome to Heights High: The Crippling Politics of Restructuring America's Public Schools (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1995).
35. Donna Muncey, Joyce Payne, and Noel White, "Making Curriculum and Instructional Reform Happen: A Case Study," Peabody Journal of Education, vol. 74, 1999, pp. 68-110; and John A. Nunnery et al., "Teachers' Initial Reaction to Their Pre-Implementation and Early Restructuring Experiences," School Effectiveness and School Improvement, vol. 8, 1997, pp. 72-94.
36. Donna Muncey, Joyce Payne, and Noel White, "Making Curriculum and Instructional Reform Happen: A Case Study," Peabody Journal of Education, vol. 74, 1999, pp. 68-110; and John A. Nunnery et al., "Teachers' Initial Reaction to Their Pre-Implementation and Early Restructuring Experiences," School Effectiveness and School Improvement, vol. 8, 1997, pp. 72-94.
37. Fullan, op. cit.
38. Even many improvement programs that have relatively few constraints and requirements can choose to stop working with schools that they feel are not making enough progress or are not making an adequate effort to make changes that are consistent with their goals or philosophies.
39. For diverse perspectives on how schools should be run and how school change can take place, see Governing America's Schools: Changing the Rules (Denver, Colo.: Education Commission of the States, 1999); and Hill, Pierce, and Guthrie, op. cit.
40. For diverse perspectives on how schools should be run and how school change can take place, see Governing America's Schools: Changing the Rules (Denver, Colo.: Education Commission of the States, 1999); and Hill, Pierce, and Guthrie, op. cit.
41. For related discussions, see John I. Goodlad, Educational Renewal: Better Teachers, Better Schools (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1994); and Guskey, op. cit.
42. For related discussions, see John I. Goodlad, Educational Renewal: Better Teachers, Better Schools (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1994); and Guskey, op. cit.