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Voices in Urban Education
Archives
Sustaining Reform
VUE Number 9, Fall 2005
| VUE Home | Archives | Order Print Copy |
How Can Reforms Last?
By Robert Rothman
Robert Rothman is a Principal Associate & Editor of VUE at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. > Author's biography
Although educators and policy-makers continue to urge major reforms in education, a glance at the record of the last twenty years shows that reform has been taking place nearly everywhere and nearly all the time. Unfortunately, many of these efforts failed to take hold in schools or school systems. They sank without a trace, only to be replaced by the next new idea.
One reason reform has been so evanescent is that many of the initiatives were the products of dynamic leaders who were able to implement sweeping changes, often in the face of determined opposition or skepticism, but when the leader moved on, the opponents were able to kill the reforms. The leaders were seldom able to turn the reforms into "the way the system does business."
How can reformers avoid this fate and ensure that reform lasts? One way is to build an infrastructure that helps turn the reform into normal operations. Another way is to build a constituency that will advocate for the reform even after the initiator leaves.
In either case, reform support organizations play critical roles in these efforts. While district leaders and their staffs — and also school staffs — must ultimately own the reforms in order for them to succeed, reform support organizations provide essential capacity and engage the community.
This issue of Voices in Urban Education looks at five distinct reform efforts to show what it takes for reforms to gain traction and staying power.
Lyn Sharratt and Michael Fullan examine the case of a school district that, on the surface, did not achieve results from its reforms. A deeper look, though, showed that the reforms did produce improvements where they were implemented faithfully, suggesting ways that reforms can take hold.
> Excerpt
Carolyn Akers describes the successful effort in Mobile County, Alabama, to raise taxes for the first time in forty years in support of education reform and the role of the local education fund in mobilizing the community and supporting the school district.
> Full article with audio clips
Steve Gering shares lessons that the Kansas City, Kansas school district has learned from its decadelong reform partnership involving the district, a foundation, and a national reform support organization.
> Excerpt
David Wynde tells how a reinvigorated school board and community partners have set the Portland, Oregon, school district on a reform course.
> Excerpt
Thomas W. Payzant describes how political stability and a design for teacher and school-leader engagement have enabled Boston Public Schools to sustain a reform effort for ten years.
> Excerpt
Although these articles address some common themes, they all represent very different approaches to sustaining reform. In some cases, district leaders led the reforms; in others, the community did so and 4 Annenberg Institute for School Reform the district implemented their vision. In some places, district leaders sought the support from the community and schools from the outset. In others, the district implemented the plan and then worked to gain buy-in. In large part, the ways the reforms were implemented reflected local circumstances.
At the same time, each of these stories suggests that reform is never "done." While all of the authors can cite some success, they all recognize that their districts still face challenges they need to address. Districts and their community partners all have important roles to play to ensure that the next phase of reform lasts as well.
Archives
Sustaining Reform
VUE Number 9, Fall 2005
| VUE Home | Archives | Order Print Copy |
How Can Reforms Last?
By Robert Rothman
Robert Rothman is a Principal Associate & Editor of VUE at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. > Author's biography
Although educators and policy-makers continue to urge major reforms in education, a glance at the record of the last twenty years shows that reform has been taking place nearly everywhere and nearly all the time. Unfortunately, many of these efforts failed to take hold in schools or school systems. They sank without a trace, only to be replaced by the next new idea.
One reason reform has been so evanescent is that many of the initiatives were the products of dynamic leaders who were able to implement sweeping changes, often in the face of determined opposition or skepticism, but when the leader moved on, the opponents were able to kill the reforms. The leaders were seldom able to turn the reforms into "the way the system does business."
How can reformers avoid this fate and ensure that reform lasts? One way is to build an infrastructure that helps turn the reform into normal operations. Another way is to build a constituency that will advocate for the reform even after the initiator leaves.
In either case, reform support organizations play critical roles in these efforts. While district leaders and their staffs — and also school staffs — must ultimately own the reforms in order for them to succeed, reform support organizations provide essential capacity and engage the community.
This issue of Voices in Urban Education looks at five distinct reform efforts to show what it takes for reforms to gain traction and staying power.
Lyn Sharratt and Michael Fullan examine the case of a school district that, on the surface, did not achieve results from its reforms. A deeper look, though, showed that the reforms did produce improvements where they were implemented faithfully, suggesting ways that reforms can take hold.
> Excerpt
Carolyn Akers describes the successful effort in Mobile County, Alabama, to raise taxes for the first time in forty years in support of education reform and the role of the local education fund in mobilizing the community and supporting the school district.
> Full article with audio clips
Steve Gering shares lessons that the Kansas City, Kansas school district has learned from its decadelong reform partnership involving the district, a foundation, and a national reform support organization.
> Excerpt
David Wynde tells how a reinvigorated school board and community partners have set the Portland, Oregon, school district on a reform course.
> Excerpt
Thomas W. Payzant describes how political stability and a design for teacher and school-leader engagement have enabled Boston Public Schools to sustain a reform effort for ten years.
> Excerpt
Although these articles address some common themes, they all represent very different approaches to sustaining reform. In some cases, district leaders led the reforms; in others, the community did so and 4 Annenberg Institute for School Reform the district implemented their vision. In some places, district leaders sought the support from the community and schools from the outset. In others, the district implemented the plan and then worked to gain buy-in. In large part, the ways the reforms were implemented reflected local circumstances.
At the same time, each of these stories suggests that reform is never "done." While all of the authors can cite some success, they all recognize that their districts still face challenges they need to address. Districts and their community partners all have important roles to play to ensure that the next phase of reform lasts as well.
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