CSR Research

An Educator’s Guide to Schoolwide Reform
1999, American Institutes of Research
Commissioned by a group of national education organizations and conducted by the American Institutes for Research, this study reviews research data on 24 school reform models, rates the quality of support provided by the model developers, and provides information on the cost and number of schools implementing the models.
The report is available from Educational Research Service.

Comprehensive School Reform and Student Achievement: a Meta-Analysis
2002, Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk
This report presents a meta-analysis of existing research studies and data on how 29 externally developed and nationally disseminated Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) models have impacted student achievement. The report finds the overall effect of adopting CSR models on student achievement to be significant and more effective than traditional Title I-targeted or compensatory programs. The report also explores the relationship between student achievement and model-specific components and some contextual factors.

CSRQ Center Report on Elementary School CSR Models
2005, American Institutes for Research (AIR)
This report from AIR’s Comprehensive School Reform Quality (CSRQ) Center is a review of 22 elementary school CSR models. It serves as a decision-making tool for comparing various models, rating each model as to evidence of 1) positive effects on student achievement; 2) positive effects on additional outcomes; 3) positive effects on family and community involvement; 4) links between research and model design; and 5) services and support to schools to enable successful implementation.

Moving Forward: A Guide to Selecting and Implementing Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement Strategies
2005, Comprehensive School Reform Quality Center
This document is a training manual for workshops to help educators select, implement, and evaluate comprehensive school reform and improvement models and programs. The Moving Forward interactive workshop guides participants through a step-by-step process that prepares them to train others in the implementation of comprehensive school reform.

Research: Implementation

Case Studies of Rural Schools Implementing Comprehensive School Reform Models
2004, Robert V. Carlson, Joan L. Buttram
This is a paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in San Diego, CA on April 14, 2004.

CSRD in the Field: Final Update
2000, U. S. Department of Education
This report, which is the final installment of the CSRD in the Field report on initial implementation, offers observations and examples drawn from site visits, revealing how schools and districts are dealing with implementation challenges.

Changing by Design: A Comprehensive Approach to School Reform
1998, NCREL
This is multimedia presentation on the challenges of comprehensive school reform. An accompanying booklet, An Introduction to Implementation, gives basic information on the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Program.

Follow-up Study of Schools Implementing Comprehensive School Reform in the Southwest
2003, SEDL
In 1998 Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) programs were implemented in five states—Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas—working with the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). This study examines the implementation status of these programs since the CSR funding ended. Two hundred sixty-eight surveys were distributed to schools that received funding. In addition, on-site visits were conducted at a sample of schools in each state. School and student performance, when available, was also examined. This study examines the following four aspects of the CSR programs: student performance, program components still in place, factors contributing to program continuation, and information about the model provider.

Follow-up Study of Rural Schools: Implementing CSR Programs in the Southwest
2003, SEDL
To determine whether isolated and small rural schools could fully participate in the Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) program, the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) conducted a follow-up CSR study in Fall 2002. (Its predecessor study was "Case Studies of Rural Schools Implementing Comprehensive School Reform Models," Carlson, 2000). The follow-up study focuses on the same five rural schools featured in the predecessor study to learn the degree to which they were able to implement fully their CSR programs over the three-year period of their respective grants.

CSRD Implementation in Native American Sites: Cross Site Lessons Learned
2000, WESTED
This report describes the experiences of seven schools, serving Native American students, during their first year of CSR. The cross-site report, conducted by a collaboration of three Regional Education laboratories, examines how the schools used CSRD to meet the needs of Native American students more effectively, and it summarizes the patterns that emerged across the seven sites.

Lessons from New American Schools’ Scale-Up Phase: Prospects for Bringing Designs to Multiple Schools
1998, RAND Corporation
and
Facing the Challenges of Whole-School Reform: New American Schools After a Decade
2002, RAND Corporation
These reports follow the progress of the New American Schools comprehensive reform models and provide extensive lessons on the key factors involved in successful implementation, including school climate, model choice, and school and district site factors.

Research: Sustainability

A Case Study of Resource Allocation to Implement a Whole School Reform Model and Boost Student Achievement: Parnell Elementary School
2000, Consortium for Policy Research in Education
This report outlines the changes that were made through the district redesign of an urban, Midwestern elementary school, including decisions made during the resource reallocation process.

Freeing School Resources for Learning: The "Missing Piece" in Making Accountability Meaningful
New American Schools
Dr. Karen Hawley Miles of Education Resource Management Strategies in Dallas, TX, provides insight into how school systems nationwide are seeking to place more accountability for student performance with educators at the school level.

How to Rethink School Budgets to Support School Transformation
New American Schools
Dr. Allan Odden of the University of Wisconsin at Madison describes the typical costs associated with the New American Schools-affiliated designs and offers suggestions for setting priorities and allocating resources to achieve positive student performance results.

Matching Spending with Strategy: Aligning District Spending to Support a Strategy of Comprehensive School Reform
New American Schools
Dr. Karen Hawley Miles of Education Resource Management Strategies in Dallas, TX, explores how districts can realign spending to support schools in raising student performance.

Money Matters: Rethinking School and District Spending to Support Comprehensive School Reform
New American Schools
Dr. Karen Hawley Miles of Education Resource Management Strategies in Dallas, TX, explores how both districts and schools can rethink their spending and organization to support comprehensive school reform.

Reinvesting in Teachers: Aligning District Professional Development Spending to Support a Comprehensive School Reform Strategy
2000, New American Schools
Dr. Karen Hawley Miles and Matthew Hornbeck explore options for rethinking how best to support teachers and schools in meeting higher standards.

Funding Comprehensive School Reform
1998, RAND Corporation, Issue Paper
Brent Keltner helps educators and policymakers understand and evaluate how CSR really impacts school resources.