School Reform Unplugged: The Bensenville New American School Project,1991–93

Abstract

In 1992, the New American Schools Development Corporation awarded Bensenville, Illinois, $1.25 million to design and implement a “break the mold” educational program. Despite this substantial amount of money, apparently broad community support, and a dedicated group of reformers pushing the proposal, within a year the Bensenville New American School project was dead. This article details the controversy that erupted over the reform program and analyzes the events that led to the dissolution of the project. The article argues that questions about such factors as school governance, local control of schools, and school finance played major roles in determining the outcome of the project. The essay concludes that such fundamental political aspects of education as who controls the schools, who pays for changes, and whose security is threatened by reform are as important to the reform process as are exciting ideas, strong financial backing, and a committed group of reformers.