For More Information:
NEA Communications 202 822-7200
Darrell Capwell, AFT (202) 393-6959
June Million, NAESP (703) 684-3345
Joe Schneider, AASA (703) 875-0771
Rob Mahaffey, NASSP (703) 860-7260

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 1999

Educational Reform 'Consumer Guide' Unveiled

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Five national education associations representing both teachers and administrators have joined in announcing publication of An Educators' Guide to Schoolwide Reform, a consumer-friendly analysis of 24 widely used programs designed to improve student achievement in low-performing schools.

The 141-page guide, prepared by the independent, Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research (AIR), was unveiled at a briefing at the National Press Club Feb. 11. Teaming to sponsor the project were the American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, and National Education Association.

"Our common commitment to schoolwide reform brought us together to invest in this extensive research," explained NEA President Bob Chase. "When we have solid, defined measurements to show how reform efforts are really working, there can be significant payoff in the classroom."

"Our members want to know what will work to help their students succeed," said Nat LaCour, executive vice president of the AFT. "This guide helps us scrutinize the research so that we can distinguish among programs with a track record of success, programs that show promise, and those that are anybody's guess."

The guide evaluates the programs' performance and capabilities based on evidence of increased student achievement, first-year costs, and assistance provided by the developers to schools that adopt their strategies. Some of the programs have been in existence for more than two decades. More than 8,000 schools nationwide follow their models.

AIR ranked the programs according to the amount of solid research and the findings of that research, according to Rebecca Herman, who directed its project team.

Included among the 24 schoolwide programs are 17 mentioned in legislation funded last year which created the federal government's Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Program. While some are rapidly gaining popularity and wide attention in the press, studies on their effectiveness or comparative strengths have been sparse.

The guide found:

• Three programs show "strong" evidence of positive effects on student achievement: Direct Instruction, High Schools That Work, and Success for All.
• Five programs show "promising" student achievement results: Community for Learning, Core Knowledge, Different Ways of Knowing, Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound, and School Development Program.
• Six programs show "marginal" achievement results, two programs show "weak" results, while eight, most of them relatively new, had no research on which to judge results.
• Twelve programs offer "strong" support to schools that implement their strategies, with 10 others considered "promising."
• First-year implementation costs, which reflect variations in scope and requirements the programs place on schools, range from $12,000 to more than $588,000.

Paul Houston, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, pointed out, "Before this guide came along, about the only way educators could judge the worth of some of these programs was by the quality of the developers' advertising and the firmness of their handshakes. Now, superintendents, principals, and classroom teachers can sit down together and make reasonable decisions about which are best for their districts' needs."

National Association of Elementary School Principals Executive Director Samuel Sava emphasized that, while this report is a useful tool, principals should not rush to drop established programs that work in their schools. "No one size fits all schools; each one is unique. This report can guide principals and their teachers to reform programs that must fit their students and local circumstances, but the ultimate test of any reform is how well and thoroughly a school facility puts it to work."

An introductory letter by leaders of the five groups identified two challenges. "We need to develop a strong evidence base on if, how and why students are achieving," stressed Thomas Koerner, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "And the federal government must invest in more schoolwide programs, building in multi-year programmatic research and development elements."

Copies of "An Educators' Guide to Schoolwide Reform," which includes extensive appendices, are available from the sponsoring organizations. Non-member price: $15.95. Member price $12.95. The full text or a link to the full text is available on the Web sites of the sponsoring organizations and the publisher, Educational Research Service.