A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

The focus of this four-year research project has been curriculum reform, with specific attention to the three areas of science education, mathematics education, and higher order thinking across the disciplines.

Significant curriculum change is more than a curricular matter; it extends into most other facets of schooling, including teaching, learning and the culture of the school. Major change demands the attention of parents as well as the full range of school personnel.

As past research--and this study--shows, educational reform is an ongoing process and seemingly never complete. It requires a major commitment over a long period of time. This study tells this story in considerable detail, including the nature of various reforms, the barriers to reform encountered, and the means by which challenges were met and positive change achieved.

The report of this research is contained in three volumes: I. Findings and Conclusions, II. Case Studies, and III. Technical Appendix: Research Design and Methodology. This volume (I) contains summaries of the literature review, research questions, and case studies along with a complete presentation of the cross-site analysis of the cases and its implications for policy, practice and future research. The reader wishing to read the case studies in their entirety is referred to volume II.

This report is presented with the expectation that it will be helpful to others pursuing educational reform, whether they be policy-makers, practitioners, parents or researchers. With it go best wishes to all in the quest for improved education.

Ronald D. Anderson
Boulder, Colorado
June 1995
-###-

[Title page]

[Acknowledgments]