Rethinking Scale: Moving Beyond Numbers to Deep and Lasting Change
Item
Title
Rethinking Scale: Moving Beyond Numbers to Deep and Lasting Change
Abstract/Description
The issue of “scale” is a key challenge for school reform, yet it remains undertheorized in the literature. Definitions of scale have traditionally restricted its scope, focusing on the expanding number of schools reached by a reform. Such definitions mask the complex challenges of reaching out broadly while simultaneously cultivating the depth of change necessary to support and sustain consequential change. This article draws on a review of theoretical and empirical literature on scale, relevant research on reform implementation, and original research to synthesize and articulate a more multidimensional conceptualization. I develop a conception of scale that has four interrelated dimensions: depth, sustainability, spread, and shift in reform ownership. I then suggest implications of this conceptualization for reform strategy and research design.
Author/creator
Date
In publication
Volume
32
Issue
6
Pages
3-12
Resource type
Research/Scholarly Media
Resource status/form
Published Text
Scholarship genre
Theoretical
Open access/full-text available
Yes
Peer reviewed
Yes
ISSN
0013-189X
Citation
Coburn, C. E. (2003). Rethinking Scale: Moving Beyond Numbers to Deep and Lasting Change. Educational Researcher, 32(6), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X032006003
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