Case studies about issues arising from education policy were written between 2003 and 2011 by doctoral candidates in Curriculum and Instruction who were career K-12 educators. Literary analysis was employed in grouping 57 case studies, which described primarily situations that occurred in school districts in one large metropolitan area, by topic and theme. Case studies of high school reform; development of programs for vulnerable students; high-stakes testing provisions of No Child Left Behind with attention to the variables of time, alignment, grouping for instruction, professional development, and teacher quality; and ethical issue were considered. Conclusions reinforce concerns about the ability of current federal accountability and related state policy to support the curriculum or the qualities of teachers needed by today's public school students. To be successful, a locally implemented innovation must achieve an unlikely confluence of policy compliance, administrative support, and a common vision at least at the campus level.