Institutionalization and Renewal in a Restructured Secondary School

Abstract

Research on restructuring in education has focused mainly on the early stages of organizational and curriculum change. Whether the changes introduced through restructuring endure, and whether they result in long‐term benefits for students and teachers remains in question. This paper argues that the dynamics of ‘institutionalization’ and ‘renewal’ drawn from prior research on the implementation of educational innovations applies to changes wrought through restructuring, as well. The argument is presented in light of past research on institutionalization and a longitudinal case study of a restructured high school.