Evaluation of the Comprehensive School Reform Program Implementation and Outcomes: Third-Year Report

摘要

The Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) Program was established as a demonstration program in 1998 and authorized as a full program in 2002 as part of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It is one approach to help low-performing K12 public schools meet state performance standards. CSR emphasizes two major concepts. First, the approach mandates that school reform should be comprehensive in nature, strengthening all aspects of school operationscurriculum, instruction, professional development, parental involvement, and school organization. Second, CSR should involve the use of scientifically based research modelsthat is, models with evidence of effectiveness in multiple settings. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education contracted with WestEd and COSMOS Corp. to conduct a five-year study of the CSR program, the Evaluation of the Comprehensive School Reform Program Implementation and Outcomes (ECSRIO), which involved a survey of 500 CSR schools and 500 comparison schools, case studies of 30 sites, and analyses of student achievement in all schools receiving CSR funding in 2002. This report presents the third-year findings of this study and focuses on the relationship between CSR award receipt and growth in student achievement and whether aspects of program implementation are associated with higher CSR achievement outcomes. Overall, the findings indicate that schools receiving CSR awards did no better in mathematics and reading achievement than comparable schools not receiving CSR funding.