In this article, the authors explore community members' perceptions of chan
ge at an elementary school during the 1st year of implementing the Accelera
ted Schools Project. After conducting 23 interviews with a representative s
ample of the school community three themes emerged: creating a school ident
ity, experiencing a community of mind, and developing a sense of human agen
cy. Despite critics who say that organizational reform efforts rarely influ
ence instructional practices. First Way Elementary may have defied the odds
, based on participants' perceptions, by making instruction their primary f
ocus within the context of creating a new school organizational structure.
The discussion focuses on how the school community made this happen in such
a short period of time and the challenges they face as they continue to ma
ke changes.