This work addresses the question of whether organizational restructuring efforts can actually make a difference in how teachers teach and students learn. It reveals findings on how reform models might be translated into effective classroom practice.

"A lucid, vivid, and persuasive account of the 'slippery' relationship between school organization and classroom teaching. By melding policy analysis and up-close observation, the authors illuminate the really hard issues in improving instruction. This book will shape educational research and reform for many years to come." -David Tyack, Vida Jacks Professor of Education and History, Stanford University This book addresses the question of whether organizational restructuring efforts can actually make a difference in how teachers teach and how students learn. By taking an in-depth look at three elementary schools and six classrooms undergoing change, the authors reveal important findings on how reform models might be translated into effective classroom practice.