The surest way to earn this support is to cultivate a community reputation as a promising innovator. Superintendents who initiate reforms are feted in the local media, praised by the mayor and local business community, and offered a honeymoon in which to reshape troubled school systems. Superintendents are propelled into proactivity if only as a tactic to rally resources and support. In short, current arrangements create a situation in which pursuing significant change in a responsible manner undermines the district s ability to secure the resources and community trust necessary to enact significant change . The great irony of school reform is that the sheer amount of activity impedes the ability of schools to improve in meaningful ways.
Meaningful reform requires time, energy, commitment, and focus.
The infatuation with new reforms ensures that only the rare measure is seen through to the end. The churning of policy distracts administrators, teachers, and community members from fostering faculty commitment and expertise the real keys to school improvement. Rapid leadership turnover and the constant search for new solutions cause previous initiatives to be abandoned mid-stream. The result is that faculty and administrators become disillusioned and increasingly resist further change. Evidence on the performance of parochial and high-performing schools suggests that the best schools are characterized by focus, and develop expertise in specific approaches.