Lessons and Reflections

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On June 12th, the Annenberg Foundation released the final report on its historic school reform effort. The report, entitled, "The Annenberg Challenge: Lessons & Reflections on Public School Reform," describes the Challenge's achievements in improving urban, rural and arts education. The report was released to the press and an audience of education leaders and policymakers at an event held in Washington, D.C. Warren Simmons, executive director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, described the report, and U.S. Secretary Rod Paige was the keynote speaker at the luncheon.
Click here to read the full report (PDF file)

Read the press release about the June 12 Celebration in Washington, D.C.

Read the report summary

Read the full report (PDF file)

The Annenberg Foundation

The Annenberg Institute for School Reform

Foreword

I. The Challenge: An Investment in the "Future of America's Children"

II. How It Started

III. What We Learned

IV. The Lessons

Final Words

Acknowledgments

The Annenberg Foundation and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform commissioned "Lessons and Reflections" not to memorialize further a landmark philanthropic gesture but to impart what we learned from successes and failures. We wrote this report with the public, not professional educators, in mind and sought to tell our story without the jargon that makes so many education reports (and conversations) impenetrable. For those seeking an academic review of the Annenberg Challenge work, the individual sites have started releasing their independent evaluations. The Institute also plans to release a cross-site report on the Challenge research effort in the fall of 2002.

We learned the hard way that if you seek to change the public schools, you must be prepared to deal with repeated setbacks, rapid turnover in leadership and sudden changes in direction. We encountered problems and policy reversals in some places that took everyone by surprise. Many Challenge projects made midcourse corrections. We learned to adapt.

We believe our experiences will ring true to those fighting on the front lines for better schools. These lessons may be especially helpful for those in the wider community who wonder: Where do we go from here? What holds the most promise for helping all children learn? How do we give teachers and principals the tools to help every child reach their full potential?

"Lessons and Reflections" focuses on these issues.