| In the last ten years, there has been tremendous push for education reform. One strong effort, beginning in 1991, to create comprehensive change, was the New American Schools Development Corporation and projects it engendered. Other educational thinking included supporting the students through non-traditional, integrated services situated at the school. These components are found in the school in this study.; The purpose is to provide an in-depth, longitudinal look at one school, offering insights into how whole school reforms succeed and change during implementation. The history of Elizabeth Learning Center (Los Angeles Learning Center design) has substantial value, demonstrating the obstacles facing implementation of whole school reforms. Studying the process of developing a proposal for funding, implementing the original design, adjusting that design and negotiating with the funding organization and the school district provides considerable insight into the design and implementation. This is the story of efforts to implement a whole school, smaller learning community reform program.; The change in culture and the sense of stakeholder self efficacy in all levels at the school inspires the efforts necessary to implement such complex reform. Particularly interesting is the Learning Supports Component, including a Parent Center, Parenting Classes, Head Start, Early Literacy, On-Site Clinic, additional Counseling Services, and English Acquisition, GED, and Citizenship Adult classes, wraps efforts to enhance the academic efforts of the students. Instructional efforts include Interdisciplinary Thematic Instruction, Technology infused throughout, and a Learning Community embedded in a school that spans pre-Kindergarten--12th grade. The value of these efforts is evident in the shift in culture the attitude of the students, typified by the high graduation rate and the college-going culture that has developed in this high poverty, non-English speaking community.; The study found that local external issues can present serious obstacles to implementation, even when the external issues may develop out of reform minded changes. In such complex, whole school reform, sufficient depth of planning is both critical and challenging. This study points to several areas, awareness of which will assist those considering comprehensive implementation. |
