California's reading initiative: Constraints on implementation in middle and high schools

This article examines interactions between the policy environment and schoo ls as institutions to understand how eight middle and high schools in Calif ornia responded to demands to improve student reading. The authors argue th at school-level reading programs were shaped by the broader institutional e nvironment: institutional norms that govern conceptions of appropriate role s and responsibilities, technical components of the middle and high school curriculum, and the limitations posed by resource constraints. The authors consider the state curriculum policy an impetus for schools to focus on rea ding development but insufficient to overcome these other important constra ints. At the same time, the authors contend that the organization and alloc ation of resources to support instruction made important contributions to r eading development. This article uses data from case studies of eight middl e and high schools located in six school districts in California.