Abstract
This article examines the questions of sustaining and extending theory-based educational change reforms, which are designed by laboratories outside of schools and whose motivating theoretical base assumes change in elemental aspects of classroom practice. This article defines sustainability of theory-based reform as more than maintaining current implementation, rather as deepening reforms in ways that allow for flexible response to changes in student, curricular, and school contexts. It draws upon five years of research in schools and classrooms engaged in one of three theory-based reforms to discuss five essential factors affecting sustainability: resources, reformers' learning, knowledge of the first principles of the reform and the support of a community of practice, the principal, and the district. This article then turns to ``scaling up.'' Rather than merely replicating structures, extending theory-based reform to new sites requires building compatibility between the normative base of the reform with that in the classrooms, schools and districts in which they are growing as well as the capacity of the classroom, school, and district to see it through. This article suggests three main factors that reform founders must focus upon to scale up their reforms – attention to site selection, a proactive stance toward district contexts, and planned transfer of authority. The article concludes that issues of invention, implementation, sustainability, and scale occur simultaneously when going deeper and broader with theory-based change.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Bodilly, S.J. (1998). Lessons from New American Schools' Scale Up Phase. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
Bol, L., Nunnery, J.A., Lowther, D.L., Dietrich, A.P., Pace, J.B., Anderson, R.S., Bassoppo-Moyo, T. & Phillipsen, L.C. (1998). Inside-in and outside-in support for restructuring: The effects of internal and external support on change in the New American Schools. Education and Urban Society 30(3), 358–384.
Bray, M.H. (1998). Leading in Learning: An Analysis of Teachers' Interactions with Their Colleagues as They Implement a Constructivist Approach to Learning. Doctoral dissertation, School of Education. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University.
Brown, A.L. & Campione, J.C. (1996). Psychological theory and the design of innovative learning environments: On procedures, principles and systems. In L. Schauble and R. Glaser (eds), Innovations in Learning: New Environments for Education (pp. 289–325). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Cochran-Smith, M. & Lytle, S.L. (1999). Relationships of knowledge and practice: Teacher learning in communities. In A. Iran-Nejad & D.P. Pearson (eds), Review of Research in Education (pp. 249–305). San Francisco: American Educational Research Association.
Cohen, D.K. & Barnes, C. (1993). Pedagogy and policy. In M. McLaughlin and I. Oberman (eds), Teacher Learning: New Policies, New Practices. New York: Teachers College Press.
Elmore, R.F. (1996). Getting to scale with successful educational practices. In S. Fuhrman & J. O'Day (eds), Rewards and Reform: Creating Educational Incentives That Work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Fullan, M. (2001). The New Meaning of Educational Change: Third Edition. New York: Teachers College Press.
Goldman, S.R., Bray, M.H., Cynthia, L. Gause-Vega, C.L., Zech, L.K. & the Schools for Thought Professional Development Group (1999). A Learning Communities Model of Professional Development. Presented at the Invited Symposium 8th European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction, Göteborg, Sweden, August.
Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. (1998). What's Worth Fighting For Out There. New York: Teachers College Press.
Lamon, M., Secules, T., Petrosine, A.J., Hackett, R., Bransford, J. & Goldman, S. (1996). Schools for Thought: Overview of the international project and lessons learned form one of the sites. In L. Schauble & R. Glaser (eds), Contributions of Instructional Innovation to Understanding Learning. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Lewis, C.C., Watson, M. & Schaps. E. (1997). Conditions for School Change: Perspectives from the Child Development Project. Oakland, CA: Developmental Studies Center.
McLaughlin, M.W. & Talbert, J.E. (1993). Contexts that Matter for Teaching and Learning. Stanford University: Center for Research on the Context of Teaching.
McLaughlin, M.W. & Talbert, J.E. (2001). Communities of Practice and the Work of High School Teaching. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Schwab, J.J. (1970). The Practical: A Language for Curriculum. Washington: National Education Association Center for the Study of Instruction.
Stokes, L.M., Sato, N.E., McLaughlin, M.W. & Talbert, J.E. (1997). Theory-based Reform and Problems of Change: Contexts that Matter for Teachers' Learning and Community. Stanford University: Center for Research on the Context of Teaching.
Stringfield, S., Datnow, A., Ross, S. & Snively, F. (1998). Scaling up school restructuring in multicultural, multilingual contexts: Early observations from Sunland county. Education and Urban Society 30(3), 326–357.
Zech. L., Gause-Vega, C., Bray, M.H., Secules, T. & Goldman, S.R. (2000). Contentbased collaborative inquiry: Professional development for school reform. Educational Psychologist 35(3), 207–218.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McLaughlin, M.W., Mitra, D. Theory-based Change and Change-based Theory: Going Deeper, Going Broader. Journal of Educational Change 2, 301–323 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014616908334
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014616908334