The purpose of this chapter is to examine contemporary policy aimed at instituting large-scale change, specifi cally focusing on reform strategies and policy instruments. We begin by explaining various perspectives or theories for examining the policy implementation process: technical-rational, mutual adaptation, and sense-making/ co-construction. We argue that the sense-making and co-construction perspectives are particularly useful for examining the dynamics involved in the implementation of current educational policies in the United States. After describing prevalent policy instruments, we then use these complementary perspectives to examine research and the theories of action behind three recent reform movements or policies: No Child Left Behind (NCLB), comprehensive school reform, and data-driven decision making (DDDM) initiated at the district level. We summarize with conclusions and implications for further research.