The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement

The Center for Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) Reform and Improvement is a central source of information for districts and schools interested in information about comprehensive school reform and school improvement. The site provides a well-developed set of guides and tools to assist districts and schools in planning, implementing, and evaluating whole-school improvement efforts. The site also provides a listing of the latest research and publications on comprehensive school reform and improvement, including a searchable database of literature.
www.centerforcsri.org

Claiming Opportunities: A Handbook for Improving Education for English Language Learners Through Comprehensive School Reform

The Education Alliance's publication, Claiming Opportunities (Brown University, 2003) provides information, strategies and tools for using comprehensive school reform as an opportunity to make schools more responsive and responsible to English language learners (ELLs) by:

• Raising the consciousness of school, state and district administrators, policy makers, and school improvement team members about ELL issues in comprehensive school reform;
• Helping educators and advocates of ELLs extend their influence from the classroom and the categorical program to the whole school and beyond;
• Influencing schools to reform and restructure in ways that are beneficial to their populations of ELLs;
• Raising questions and suggesting directions for research;
• Identifying resources.

You may download this publication from
http://www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/claiming_opportunities/index.shtml.

Comprehensive School Reform Models

There are a variety of school reform models and strategies that can be used by schools interested in implementing a comprehensive school reform program. Districts and schools are encouraged to research the different reform models available and identify models and strategies that may supplement their school-wide reform efforts. The following catalogs and publications provide an overview of school reform models available to schools. Please access our Tools page for information on matching school reform models to school characteristics and areas of need.

• The Catalog of School Reform Models, hosted by NWREL and NCCSR, includes descriptions of program models in two categories: entire-school models and skill and content-based models, along with direct links for further information.
• Comprehensive School Reform Issue site, hosted by the Education Commission of the States, provides a wide variety of information about CSR, including updated ECS evaluations of 20 comprehensive school reform models.
• The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's Better by Design? A Consumer's Guide to Schoolwide Reform (1999), provides detailed descriptions, including cost estimates, for 10 of the most widely adopted school reform models.
• Comprehensive School Reform Models Addressing the Needs of English Language Learners (1999) - The Region IX Southwest Comprehensive Assistance Center has developed a resource guide describing some of the nationally available and locally developed school models that have addressed the needs of English language learners.
• Finding Common Ground: Service Learning and Education Reform is a publication from the American Youth Policy Forum that looks at the compatibility between CSR programs and elements of service learning.

U.S. Department of Education

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education maintains a site with links to many resources, as well as the most current information on legislation, funding, and guidance:

• Estimated FY2002 State Allocations - the FY 2002 budget for the CSRD program includes a $25 million increase in the Title I section and a $25 million increase in the Fund for the Improvement of Education Section.
• Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) Program Guidance, August 2002 - The updated guidance reflecting changes made in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, No Child Left Behind.
• CSRD in the Field: Final Update (2003), summarizes and updates information on how schools, districts, and states are developing and implementing CSRD programs. This document also contains links to many of the latest resources and research on the eleven components of Comprehensive School Reform.
• CSRD Early Implementation Report (2000) -- This report, prepared by Planning and Evaluation Service (PES), provides baseline data and information on CSR implementation at the federal, state, district, and local level. This report is available in MS Word [600K] and PDF [344K].
• Profiles of Early Implementation (1998) This brief, which profiles six states in the early implementation of CSRD, shows the important role states can play in supporting local schools and districts as they prepare for comprehensive school improvement. The brief also shows how states are integrating comprehensive reform with their own standards-based school improvement and accountability efforts.
• Schoolwide Reform Programs This publication outlines how schools can integrate funds and resources from Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
• Implementing Schoolwide Programs: An Idea Book on Planning (1998) - This U.S. Department of Education publication provides multiple strategies and ideas that schools have used to implement school-wide reform.

Additional Resources

• Guide to Working with Model Providers (2000) - This document offers advice to schools and districts working with an external model provider. The guide follows the process through initial stages, contract negotiations and ongoing partnerships. Tools are included to assist throughout the process.
• Comprehensive School Reform: Research-Based Strategies to Achieve High Standards (2000) - This guidebook from the Region XI Northern California Comprehensive Assistance Center is designed to help schools with successful implementation through intial stages, contract negotiations, and ongoing partnerships.  Tools are included to assist throughout the process.
• Developed by the The Region III Comprehensive Center, CSR Briefs is an occasional series of articles highlighting key issues related to the implementation of the Comprehensive School Reform program.
• District Leaders Guide to Reallocating Resources: This guide for district- and building-level support of comprehensive school reform discusses resource reallocation decisions within the context of site-based planning and district-wide focus on higher achievement for all students.
• Raising Student Achievement: An Internet Guide for Redesigning Low-Performing Schools - This site, from the American Federation of Teachers, provides information on research-based programs, program selection and implementation, district profiles, and links.
• Implementing School Reform Models: The Clover Park Experience (2001). This document provides an excellent overview of a district-wide comprehensive school reform initiative.