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Rethinking Scale: Moving Beyond Numbers to Deep and Lasting Change

Administrative and Policy Studies, School of Education, and Research Scientist, Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, 808 LRDC, 3939 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260; cecoburn{at}pitt.edu. Her research interests include the relationships between policy and practice, school and teacher change, and qualitative research methods

The issue of "scale" is a key challenge for school reform, yet it remains undertheorized in the literature. Definitions of scale have traditionally restricted its scope, focusing on the expanding number of schools reached by a reform. Such definitions mask the complex challenges of reaching out broadly while simultaneously cultivating the depth of change necessary to support and sustain consequential change. This article draws on a review of theoretical and empirical literature on scale, relevant research on reform implementation, and original research to synthesize and articulate a more multidimensional conceptualization. I develop a conception of scale that has four interrelated dimensions: depth, sustainability, spread, and shift in reform ownership. I then suggest implications of this conceptualization for reform strategy and research design.

Educational Researcher, Vol. 32, No. 6, 3-12 (2003)
DOI: 10.3102/0013189X032006003


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