Challenges of Conflicting School Reforms: Effects of New American Schools in a High-Poverty District 2002

A decade ago, New American Schools (NAS) launched an ambitious effort for wholeschool reform to address the perceived lagging achievement of American students and the lackluster school reform attempts that have produced so few meaningful changes. Rand assessed the effects of NAS designs on classroom practice and student achievement in a sample of schools in a highpoverty district. It found that while highstakes tests may motivate these schools to increase performance, they may also provide disincentives to adopt richer, more indepth curricula that could improve students' learning opportunities.