LEARNING FROM SCHOOL RESTRUCTURING

We analyzed cases of restructuring experiments in three elementary sch ools, each with ethnically diverse populations located in large urban school districts in different parts of the United States. Over 2 years , we gathered data on views and classroom writing practices of two tea chers in each school through on-site interviews and observations. We a lso interviewed the principal and other support personnel. We found th at these three schools did successfully restructure; changes included new student grouping patterns, new ways of allocating time for subject matter, teachers meeting together as a whole school or in teams and a ccess to new ideas through professional development opportunities. Thr ough close analyses of teachers' classroom practices, we learned that changing teachers' practice is primarily a problem of learning not a p roblem of organization. While school structures can provide opportunit ies for learning new practices, the structures, by themselves, do not cause the learning to occur.