*Public Schools

This paper, which is part of a larger comparative project, outlines a conceptual framework for studying large-scale education reform across political jurisdictions. A great deal of comparative work on education reform is now being done, but this work often lacks a clearly articulated conceptual frame. This paper, based on studies of change in five jurisdictions in four countries--Canada, United States, England, New Zealand--develops a model of reform based on four interactive elements: origins (where particular reform proposals came from), adoption (how policies that are finally adopted or made into law differ from the one originally proposed), implementation (the model of implementation used by governments to move their reforms into practice), and outcomes (the available evidence as to the effects of reforms). Within each of these elements, questions and concepts from the relevant literature are developed with the intent of building a more comprehensive approach to the analysis of reform from political, organizational, and educational perspectives. (Contains 41 references.) (Author/DFR) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document