Though some compromises were caused by dollar shortages, most have been politically driven. Facing opposition, reform leaders have qui- etly weakened their initiatives while keeping the names and performance promises intact. Delay is simply a variation of temporizing. Many reform leaders avoid creating clear incentives and performance pressures, hoping that teachers and administrators will come on their own to appreciate and support a strategy for change. The result is a reform strategy that will take years to develop.
Initiatives can survive such transitions, but their doing so is risky.
Moving Ahead Against the backdrop of the experiences of these six cities, it becomes clear that, at a minimum, civic leaders hoping to advance long-lasting and sustained educational reform must take these five lessons to heart. But serious reformers must do far more. The reality is that even if all these impediments are taken into account, most of the reforms under discussion are very thin gruel indeed. When we look beneath the surface of these efforts, what we find are weak treatments, unlikely to make much difference because their advocates place so much hope in outcomes that are difficult to achieve while ignoring blind spots in their own strategies.