This research is conducted in the context of a large-scale study of three nationally disseminated comprehensive school reform projects (CSRs) and examines how school- and classroom-level factors contribute to variation in instructional time in English language arts and mathematics. When using mean-based OLS regression techniques such as…

Many researchers who study the relations between school resources and student achievement have worked from a causal model, which typically is implicit. In this model, some resource or set of resources is the causal variable and student achievement is the outcome. In a few recent, more nuanced versions, resource effects depend on intervening…

Five case studies of implementation of instructional policy changes at the classroom level by elementary-school mathematics teachers are discussed. The case studies focus on California's new Mathematics Framework. The interaction between teacher practice and policy is emphasized. Teachers' inherited beliefs, knowledge, and existing practices are…

A case study of a second grade teacher's classroom approach to implementing the California Mathematics Curriculum Framework (CMCF) is presented. Carol Turner's approach seems to have been untouched by the policy initiative. This case highlights the complexity of changes implied by the CMCF and difficulties inherent in communicating those changes.…

An overview of five case studies and ancillary essays on teacher implementation of the California Mathematics Curriculum Framework is provided. The dilemma of the teacher as the traditionalist versus the teacher as innovator is underscored. Research of this nature provides insights into how instructional policy and teaching practice affect each…