The models included a focus on parents' capacity building through interactive learning, broad coalition building and organizing to affect change, and the creation of alternative schools. School reform is not just about changing the way children are educated, said one panelist, but about creating healthy communities. School professionals can't do this on their own, she added, because they tend to be isolated from the rest of the community. It's up to community-based groups to take the initiative to provide the input needed to improve school systems. As with comprehensive community building, there is no magic wand for improving failing schools.
Schools are complex cultures that generally defy one-dimensional answers.
Standards Effective schools have high learning standards, challenging curricula based on those standards, and instructional practices that keep kids actively engaged in learning. Students today must have more skills and broader knowledge than ever before. Such schools also develop assessments, tied to their standards and curricula, that are used to help kids and parents understand academic progress and help teachers adjust instructional practices. High standards show children that schools care, that learning is valuable, and, most importantly, that they have the ability to succeed. Small Schools Small schools offer more personal, individualized education.