In the same way that a software developer has successive versions of the same product, schoolwide models can change to enhance what they offer. Judging them today based on research that is several years old may be as shortsighted as judging Windows NT based on the crashes of Windows 2.0. The consequences of accountability are much more immediate than those provided by snapshots from research. Schools do not have to wait to learn if an innovation is bringing about the desired improvement. Schools that are high-performing do not stay in the same position very long, and the same is true of the best comprehensive school designs.
Educational research falls short in another important way, given today's circumstances.
Little study has been made of delivering powerful tools for change to schools on a broad scale. Again, new accountability mechanisms bring an unprecedented demand for improvement. The New American Schools design teams work with more than 1,000 schools in 27 states. Even the most careful research on a handful of campuses and a handful of matched schools could not give us the full picture of what happens when models are used in hundreds of schools. New accountability systems that measure results offer a more effective approach with real impact on individual schools.