Small Change: A Multilevel Study of the Implementation of Literature-Based Instruction

Abstract

In this article, we describe the findings from a 5-year multilevel project in which we studied 4 high-poverty school districts that were attempting to change to a literature-based literacy curriculum in line with State Department of Education manifestos. The various studies in the project drew on class- room observations, interviews with teachers and administrators, and various documents and reports from schools, the State Department of Education, and the media. Our analyses reveal the obstacles to change and some of the unintended effects of change methods. In particular, we document substantial differences between centralized and decentralized districts in their relationships and ways of talking. We conclude that unless there is radical change in the ways that administrators and policymakers view educational change, literacy instruction in the 21st century will remain much the same as it is now.