Reactions from the Field to State Restructuring Legislation

Abstract

Can state legislatures mandate fundamental school reform when local control is prevalent and other legislative actions and policies may not be consistent with the goals of reform? This article examines teacher reactions to an Oregon law (H.B. 3565) designed to restructure public education around Certificates of Initial and Advanced Mastery and other changes. Over 2,000 educators in 92 schools completed surveys to determine their attitudes toward mandated reforms. Their reactions can be categorized as cautious support for the ideas contained in the reforms tempered with skepticism that the reforms can be implemented successfully. Individual schools varied greatly in their responses, but demographic groupings did not. States that mandate change may have to provide systematic supports-funding, demonstration projects, networks, consultation services—that enable educators to interpret, adapt, and act upon state mandates at the site level, and that are compatible with and supportive of the structures and strategies that emerge in schools.