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Implementing Instructional Reform At The Middle Grades: Case Studies Of Seventeen California Schools, Alexis L. Mitman, Vicki Lambert

Education Faculty Articles and Research

California has a thriving climate for middle grade reform, with most middle grade schools in the state attempting some change. In this study, we examined the reform implementation process in 17 schools where staff members had devoted considerable effort to 1 of 4 instructional reforms: heterogeneous grouping, cooperative learning, active learning, or interdisciplinary instruction. Although different combinations of external and internal pressures prompted schools to focus on a particular reform, at all schools the principal or a small cadre of teachers took responsibility for building a reform vision and for logistical activities of implementation. All 4 reforms relied heavily on …