You Can Get There From Here: Using a Theory of Change Approach to Plan Urban Education Reform

Abstract

This article presents a theory of change approach to planning educational reform initiatives with a focus on district level efforts. Using examples from ongoing consulting work with urban school districts, we walk through steps in a planning process that can yield a theory of change that meets 4 criteria: plausible, doable, testable, and meaningful. The benefits of this planning approach for evaluation and implementation of district level educational reform are also discussed.Weconclude with implications of this approach for educational and psychological consultants working with educational reform initiatives.