Some schools develop their own reform approach from within.
Others seek assistance from without, particularly from organizations that have developed coherent, research-based approaches, or school reform models. For schools that use external assistance, selecting the right model is crucial. The process begins with an assessment of school needs, capacities, and goals. Staff then examine a variety of models, identify several that appear promising, and investigate these in greater depth. The Catalog of School Reform Models gathers information on multiple models into a single location, thus facilitating efforts to identify promising models.