124). This makes sense, and also points to another reason reforms are not sustained, they do not have the political support they need throughout the district and the schools.
This leads to another reform that was implemented in the district and was not sustained. Our district implemented a classroom learning reform that was similar to the Success for All model Datnow mentions in her article. It was a model for reforming how English is taught in the classroom, including how the children are involved in learning English and how the English and non-English speakers interact and work together. Several elementary schools implemented the program, and there was a district facilitator hired to monitor the progress of the program at the different schools. The goal of the program was to increase the literacy and participation of non-English speaking students by integrating them into the classrooms and integrating language study into the curriculum for both ESL and non-ESL students. A variety of classroom activities and materials were available to teachers to use in the classroom, and teachers had to report on how the integration of the materials worked. There were also various language tests that were administered throughout the years as the program developed and more students were available to study and see the results of the program. The program was successful in several areas. It helped promote understanding in the classroom between non-English speaking students and English speaking students. Part of the curriculum included the study of other cultures, such as Asian and Hispanic, which also helped foster more understanding...
However, when the test results came back after several years of the program's implementation, they did not show a substantial change in the literacy and comprehension of the non-English speaking students who had been in the program and those who had not. Eventually, after several years, the program, and the district facilitator position were both dropped.
This reform seemed to fail for several reasons. First, some of the teachers were resistant to implementing it in their classrooms. They felt the blending of languages and instruction would be detrimental to all the students, rather than helping the ESL students, and many of them were quite adamant in their refusal to integrate the program into their classrooms. Second, with so many schools in the district, it seemed the facilitator may have been stretched too thin, and when there were problems or concerns, the facilitator could not always handle them in a timely manner. This too helped doom the program, eventually. Politically, many members of the community were against the program, and they voiced their opinion at school district meetings. Some even pulled their children from the classrooms and began homeschooling their children. Finally, test scores eventually showed the program was not as effective as first thought, and this was the final straw, and the program was cancelled. This in an example of a reform that simply was not sustainable.
References
Datnow, Amanda. (2005). "The sustainability of comprehensive school reform models in changing district and state contexts." Educational Administration Quarterly,…
