C&T 4004
Assignment for September 25th: What should change?
This week’s assignment focuses on “theories of action” (or “logic models”). To get a general
idea of what theories of action are and how they can be used to analyze and explain reform
initiatives, policies, and programs please read:
Required:
Hatch, T. (1998). “The differences in theory that matter in the practice of school
improvement,” American Journal of Education 35: 3-31.
Cohen, D. K., & Moffit, S. (2009). “Title 1” & “Epilogue” (pp. 179-231) in The ordeal
of equality: Did federal regulation fix the schools? Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
Recommended:
Coffman, J. (1999). Learning from logic models: An example of a family/school
partnership program. Cambridge MA: Harvard Family Research Project.
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/pubs/onlinepubs/rrb/learning.html
Due in class: Please bring a 1-page description of a reform effort with which you are familiar
(ideally one you participated in, but, if you don’t have a personal experience to draw upon, talk
to me about other options). These descriptions should also serve as the basis for the reform
critique due later in the semester.
For the readings:
First, get a general understanding of theories of action and how they can be used to analyze
reform efforts and evaluate programs by reading “The differences in theory…” (and the Coffman
article if you like and see the notes on theories of action in this document). Second, please read
the chapters in Cohen & Moffit. As you read, please think about the theories of action that
underlie the federal programs they describe in the “Title 1” chapter (e.g. Title 1, NCLB etc.).
What problems does each program focus on? What strategies/activities do they pursue and what
resources do they use to address the problems? In the “Epilogue”, please pay special attention
to their discussion of four different approaches to improving schools:
1. Build Human Capital through programs like Teach for America
2. Develop New leaders (Broad Foundation, New leaders for New Schools)
3. Turn-around low-performing schools
4. Create new schools (Charters etc.)
While they do not go into as much detail about these programs, think about what the theories of
action behind these programs might be and begin to think about what theory of action might lie
behind a school or improvement approach that you might take.
Notes on theories of action
From my perspective, theories of action explain the underlying logic of
programs/policies/schools, and they are reflected in the:
A. “Problems” or issues those programs/policies/schools are designed to address and/or the
purposes and goals they are supposed to achieve
B. Materials, resources, tools, activities, plans, strategies etc. employed to address those
problems and meet those goals
C. Short and long-term measures, assessments and outcomes used to determine the extent to
which those problems are being addressed and those goals are being met
As you learn about theories of action, it may be worth keeping several things in mind:
 People use the term theories of action and “logic models” in different ways; don’t assume that
there my approach is the “right” approach or that there is one right definition.
 Policies and reform efforts reflect theories of action about many different things, particularly
theories of learning (how students and teachers learn and develop); theories of schooling (how
schools should be organized and what role schools should play in society as a whole); and
theories of change (how improvements can be made). (This is a key point of “The differences
in theory…”)
 Policies and reform efforts are complex, collective, and often political, products; as such, they
often involve many different aspects of schooling and reflect the theories of many different
people.
 People in the same organization may have different theories. In fact, the same person may be
pursuing different theories of action at different times…
 What a policy or reform effort says should happen is not always what happens in practice;
thus, the theories of action reflected in the written materials, descriptions and plans of a policy
or a reform effort (the “espoused” theories) may be different from the theories of action that
are reflected in the activities and actions of people in the field.
Things to think about when trying to determine the theories of action underlying a policy,
proposal, program, organization or initiative:
 The goal is to understand the general logic of an initiative – how it is supposed to accomplish
what it sets out to accomplish – regardless of whether every detail is worked out. (Remember
“ready, fire, aim,” – is the “logic” reasonable enough to begin work in a productive direction?
Will it be possible to make corrections/adaptations down the road?)
 Initially, it can be helpful to begin by trying to take an “insider’s” perspective and looking at
how the model is supposed to work—what are the key elements? What elements need to be
“filled in” or detailed to make the model work? – regardless of how you feel about that
initiative.
 After developing that “insider’s” view, it may be useful to step back and take an “outsider’s”
view and look at what the model is supposed to accomplish: what will happen if the model is
successful? What goals will actually be achieved? How will it solve the problem(s) the model
is supposed to address? What other issues or problems are left unaddressed? (And in the
process you may be able to help “insider’s” understand some of the problems with their model
even if you have very different assumptions or beliefs about what should happen…)