Similarities existed among the schools in that each entered the partnership acknowledging that it was at risk of failing to meet the learning needs of its students, and each lacked experiences in school change. More important, staff at the five sites expressed their interest and commitment to the partnership as a means of producing meaningful changes in their schools and positively affecting student results.

Together, the sites displayed characteristics that are symptomatic of the challenges in public education across the nation -- achievement scores were consistently low or falling, students were unhappy and/or unmotivated, parents were ignored, community members were disengaged, and school staff did not believe they could affect student learning.

The sites varied in terms of geography and demographics (race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, students' cultural background), as well as in their capacity for reform planning and implementation.