An evaluation of the implementation of curriculum innovation: The impact of the William and Mary units on schools

This evaluation study of a curriculum innovation provides a close-up view o f two school sites after 3 years of implementing the William and Mary curri culum units. Case study methodology was employed by using multiple data sou rces, including interview, focus group, document-content analysis, and clas sroom observation to assess contextual perceptions of impact and institutio nalization of the innovation. Findings suggested that the innovation was vi ewed positively by relevant groups, that the innovation had been integrated into district policies, and that within-system diffusion efforts were unde rway. However, full implementation of the innovation was hampered by lack o f use of the performance-based assessment tasks for improving instruction a nd for reporting student-learning gains. The study concluded that 3 years o f implementation may be insufficient for an innovation to impact the total school culture.