teachers and special education teac

teachers and special education teachers, and between school personnel
and community members and professionals outside the school.
We could take other educationalchanges to illustrate the significance
of the different dimensions of change. Virtually every program change
states or implies all three aspects, whether we refer to language arts, social
studies, school-work programs, microcomputers, Head Start or Follow
Through programs, specialeducation, restructuring and so on. Working
on the meaning and definition of change is all the more important these
days because more complex and frequently more vague reforms (like restructuring)
are being attempted. More is at stake. The point is that educational
change programs have an objective'reality that may be more or
less definable in terms of what beliefs, teaching practices, and resources
they encompass.
{hy worry about all three aspects of change? Why not be content to
develop quality innovations and provide aceess to them? The answer is
sirnply that such an approach does not adequately recognize how individuals
come to confront or avoid hhavioraland conceptual implications of
change. The innovation.as a set of materials and resources is the most
visible aspect of change, and the easiest to employ, but only literally.
Change in teaching approach or style in using new marerials presents
greater difficulty if new skills must be acquired and new ways of conducting
instructiona! activities established. Changes in beliefs are even more
difficult: they challenge the crtre values held by individuals regarding the
purposes of education; moreover, beliefs are often not explicit, discussed,
or understood, but rather are buried at the level of unstated assumptions.
And the development of a clear belief system is essential because it provides
a set of criteria for overall planningiand a screen for sifting valuable
from not-sovaluable learning opportunities that inevitably arise during
instruction (recall Bussis et al., 1976). The ultimate question, of course, ii
how essential are all three dimensions of change. The use of new materials
by themselves may accomplish certain educational objectives, bur ir
seems obvious that developing new teaching skills and approaches and
understanding conceptually what and rvhy so'pnething should be done,
and to what end, represents much more fundamental change, and as
such will take longer to achieve but will have a greater impact once accomplished.
I will leave the whole matter of strategies of change until later
chapters. Horv best to deal with conceptions (e.g., beliefg and behavior
(e.9., teaching approaches) is cbmplicated, but some of the implications
include the need for addressing them ona continuous basis during implementation
and the possibility that beliefs can be most effectively discussed
oftn Wople have had at least some hhavioral experience in attempting
new practices (see Chapter 5).
Specific educational programs and policies differ in how great a
change is at stake. The extent of change must always be defined with