Implementation

The recent report from RAND entitled "Evaluating Comprehensive School Reform Models at Scale" highlights a facinating finding that really ought to get lots of attention. Making things work in schools is a difficult, messy business. Well designed interventions--from the ones highlighted in this report, to new mathematics or science programs, to others--are really difficult to implement well, and that has negative effects on their success.

So what's to do? Certainly focus on leadership development, but also establish clear metrics and mechanisms to collect data about how implementation is going, so that mid-course corrections can be applied before it's too late. Focusing on the fidelity of an enactment is really important, and I'd argue that most school systems don't have the organization or the business processes in place to do that well.

Comments

[Patrice]

I agree with you completely. I actually work on a project that uses an evaluation tools to show its effectiveness. It is called Cross Career Learning Communities, which is an induction model that transcends induction. It creates a culture of shared vision, empowered leadership (individually and school-wide), as well as trust.

One of the most frequently asked questions about the project is how can it be evaluated? How does it affect student achievement? Teacher retention? We have several tools that we use to measure the project. Administrators, district level folks, etc. want to know the numbers. Not just the warm and fuzzys...they want to know is this worth time, effort, and money. I am glad to say that our prject has answered all those questions and provided more than what can be determined by number crunching...school buildings moving forward to empower educators and children!