Insights from successful and unsuccessful implementations of school reform programs |
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Authors: | Martin Guhn |
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Institution: | (1) Human Early Learning Partnership, University of British Columbia, 400-2725 Melfa Road, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1N4 |
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Abstract: | Past educational reforms were commonly found to be of limited success, due to the fact that schools alone cannot overcome
the developmental challenges that poverty and ethno-cultural segregation impose upon many children. However, there are reports
of some reform programs that have frequently been successful in low-achieving, poverty-ridden, and ethno-culturally segregated
schools. In this paper, two such successful school reform programs—School Development Program; Child Development Project—were examined in order to identify processes linked to their frequent success, with a focus on the implementation and sustainability
of these programs. The analysis was theoretically guided by Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological theory of human development. A web of interdependent processes, related to relationship building, autonomy, resistance to change, competence, leadership, team support, and school-family-community partnerships, was identified. These findings are discussed in regard to a conceptual and practical shift in school reform: (a) towards
schools as caring communities that address universal human needs in culturally appropriate ways, with accountability tied
to providing continuity and support to empowered students; and (b) away from schools that universally focus on narrow, externally
imposed, and discriminatory outcome goals. |
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Keywords: | |
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