Resources, Time, and Commitment More than anything else, effective school reform requires that the school system focus on making the desired changes work. This requires re- sources, time, and commitment. On the other hand, if districts make resources and exper- tise available to those faculty involved in an initiative, and successfully convince faculty and administrators that the measure will be in place for the long haul, then reforms are much more likely to impact teaching and learning. 171 Table 7-2. Numbers of respondents are in parentheses.
Insiders are administrators, school board members, and the presidents of teachers' unions.
Insiders regard reform as more successful by 21 percent. Of all respondents, administrators have the most inter- est in viewing reforms as successful, while journalists have the least stake in the outcomes of reform. Not surprisingly, administrators viewed reform efforts as 40 percent more successful than did journalists. All of the differences were not between insiders and outsiders. This was particularly true for reforms on which the union felt it had not been accorded a full and fair voice.