Whole system reform means that every vital part of the system--school, community, district, and government--contributes individually and in concert to forward movement and success, using practice, not research, as the driver of reform. With this in mind, several "big ideas", based on successful implementation, informed Ontario's reform strategy: all children can learn; there is no lack of innovation and initiatives, but rather too many fragmented, rapidly changing priorities; successful reform depends on resolute leadership; collective capacity is the hidden resource we fail to understand and cultivate; success depends on continually identifying, retaining, and spreading effective and precise teaching practices; most accountability needs are addressed through the transparency and open measurement of achievement; all really does mean all. You can't solve the problem of whole-system reform through piecemeal efforts. (Contains 10 endnotes.)