ORGANIZING NEW YORK STATE FOR EDUCATIONAL CHANGE.

THE STUDY OF THE DYNAMICS OF EDUCATIONAL CHANGE IN THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF NEW YORK STATE AND THE PROPOSED ORGANIZATION TO IMPROVE THE PROCESS OF EDUCATIONAL CHANGE WAS BASED ON VISITS TO SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN NEW YORK CITY AND THIRTY AREAS OUTSIDE THE CITY TO DISCOVER HOW THEY MADE DECISIONS ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL CHANGE. ACTIVE, WELL-FINANCED SUBURBAN SCHOOL SYSTEMS WERE SELECTED. ADDITIONALLY, VISITS WERE MADE TO COLLEGES, PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, AND CITIZENS' ORGANIZATIONS. THE FINDINGS INDICATED THAT THE PACE AND DIRECTION OF CHANGE WERE GREATLY AFFECTED BY THE LAUNCHING OF THE SOVIET SPUTNIK, BUT THAT SCHOOLS AS STRUCTURED INSTITUTIONS REMAINED STABLE. THE PROCESS OF CHANGE WITHIN LOCAL SCHOOLS AND THE ROLE OF OUTSIDE INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS WERE ANALYZED. THE MAIN CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY WAS THAT THE THREE PHASES OF INSTRUCTIONAL CHANGE--THE DESIGN, EVALUATION, AND DISSEMINATION OF INNOVATIONS--WERE NOT THE SAME. THE IDEAL CIRCUMSTANCES FOR EACH PHASE WERE WRONG FOR THE OTHERS, IDEALLY, THE CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THE DESIGN OF AN IMPROVED INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH WOULD BE ARTIFICIAL, ENRICHED, AND FREE, THOSE FOR THE EVALUATION WOULD BE CONTROLLED, CLOSELY OBSERVED, AND UNFREE, AND THOSE FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF CHANGE THROUGH DEMONSTRATION WOULD BE ORDINARY, UNENRICHED, AND NORMAL. ANOTHER OBSTACLE TO EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT WAS THE FAILURE TO SUPPORT ADEQUATELY THE BASIC RESEARCH WHICH SHOULD PRECEDE THE DESIGN PHASE. THE SOLUTION RECOMMENDED BY THE INVESTIGATORS WAS FOR THE STATES TO STIMULATE NATIONAL ACTION TO SUPPORT BASIC RESEARCH AND FOR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO STIMULATE STATE ACTION TO SUPPORT PROGRAM DESIGN AND EVALUATION THROUGH FIELD TESTING.