REACTIONS FROM THE FIELD TO STATE RESTRUCTURING LEGISLATION

Can state legislatures mandate fundamental school reform when local co ntrol 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 othe r changes. Over 2,000 educators in 92 schools completed surveys to det ermine their attitudes toward mandated reforms. Their reactions can be categorized as cautious support for the ideas contained in the reform s tempered with skepticism that the reforms can be implemented success fully. individual schools varied greatly in their responses, but demog raphic groupings did not. States that mandate change may have to provi de systematic supports-funding, demonstration projects, networks, cons ultation services-that enable educators to interpret, adapt, and act u pon state mandates at the site level and that are compatible with and supportive of the structures and strategies that emerge in schools.