Clearwater: A Case Study in Curricular Innovation and School Reform

Abstract

This case traces a middle school's involvement in curricular innovation and school reform. Beginning with curricular innovations in one classroom, educational reform eventually spreads through the entire sixth grade and beyond. Although the changes gain community and student support, teachers at the other grade levels are resistant and resentful of efforts to expand it further, placing the school culture in crisis. The principal is caught in the middle—his espoused values, pressure from veteran teachers, evidence of effectiveness, and budgetary constraints all tugging at him from different directions. The case, which raises a variety of important issues for aspiring leaders, can be analyzed from several theoretical perspectives (e.g., curricular, organizational, social, political and cultural), making it an excellent example of the complexities and layers that are typically embedded in school dilemmas.

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