Evaluating Comprehensive School Reform Models at Scale

Focus on Implementation

Georges Vernez, Rita T. Karam, Louis T. Mariano, Christine DeMartini

ResearchPublished Nov 7, 2006

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Despite increasing pressure for improving student achievement, most studies of comprehensive school reforms show only a modest effect — or sometimes no effect at all. But if reform has not been implemented, or has been implemented only in part, changes in student achievement cannot be expected. To fill the “implementation measurement” gap, the authors developed a unique methodology to quantitatively measure the level of school reform implementation. They applied this methodology to measure actual implementation of four different models in a large number of schools, along with a corresponding set of non-model schools. They found that very few schools have fully implemented their reform model. Practices in model and non-model schools are similar, although some practices are implemented more thoroughly or frequently when prescribed by a model. At the current level of implementation, comprehensive school reform is likely to have little effect on student achievement.

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Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 2006
  • Pages: 298
  • Document Number: MG-546-EDU

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RAND Style Manual

Vernez, Georges, Rita T. Karam, Louis T. Mariano, and Christine DeMartini, Evaluating Comprehensive School Reform Models at Scale: Focus on Implementation, RAND Corporation, MG-546-EDU, 2006. As of November 28, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG546.html

Chicago Manual of Style

Vernez, Georges, Rita T. Karam, Louis T. Mariano, and Christine DeMartini, Evaluating Comprehensive School Reform Models at Scale: Focus on Implementation. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2006. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG546.html.
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