How Improvement Teams Facilitate Schoolwide Reading Reform

It is argued that although reading reforms are being implemented by individual teachers, school-wide reading reform efforts are the exception, not the rule, & some, not all, students get the best offered today. This problem is examined here, its causes are discussed, & case studies of reading improvement teams are used to describe the team process & explain how it is different from other reform strategies. Basically, teams use negotiation & collaboration strategies, whereas other strategies feature mandates. Discussed is how teams are formed & how they work. Guidelines & a description of a typical team agenda are given. The intent is to present a model that others can use for implementing school- & district-wide reading reform. Specific steps & guidelines for those seeking to implement site-based management involving teachers as change agents are provided. 25 References. AA