An assessment of the relative and absolute impact of various educational reform movements on student learning and an analysis of school superintendents' roles in such movements are the purposes of this study. Mailed surveys to 70 experienced New York school superintendents yielded a 78.6 percent response rate. The first phase focused on the individual impacts of 10 recent educational reform movements, and the second phase compared the movements with each other with respect to student learning and the role of the superintendency. Findings indicate that the perceptions of the value of recent educational reform movements vary widely. Approaches with specific target populations were viewed as having the most impact on student learning, and those with less structure and definition were perceived as having little impact. A conclusion is that although reform efforts may have some value, the real work of education lies in addressing specific problems at the district level. Twenty-two summary tables of survey findings are included. (12 references) (LMI)