ABSTRACT
As the history of reform at the three schools amply illustrates, implementing school change can be tricky business. At Central, the Idea Team’s best intentions for reform ran amok in the complex and rocky terrain of gender politics. In many ways, one can look at Central and become depressed about the possibility of reform (or lack thereof) in schools and communities where powerful groups have a strong stake in the status quo. However, on a more optimistic note, several important lessons can be learned from the seedy organizational underworld of school change. Reflecting upon the day-to-day struggles of educators grappling with reform, I conclude this book with some guiding principles for school change.
