Systemic school reform in the 1990s: A local perspective

This article focuses on the development of stare systemic reform from the perspective of local participants in nine states. The findings suggest that implementation varies with focal capacity. Districts without substantive technical capacity are most critical of the lack of time, staff development, and information necessary to enact complex, multifaceted policies. State systemic reform agendas are also frequently viewed as incompatible with pressing local issues, particularly school violence and the condition of school facilities. However the most frequently criticized aspect of systemic reform is the apparent lack of connection between state reform efforts and state funding policies.