Abstract
On March 15, 1996, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin held a "Round-Up" for school districts to submit Letters of Intent to become Challenge Districts. Challenge District were making a commitment to implement ten elements to improve student performance. Thirty-two California School Districts submitted Letters of Intent signed by the governing board president, superintendent, teacher's representative, classified union representative, and parent representative. The purpose of this study was to identify the degree to which a set of conditions identified through a review of the diffusion of innovation and planned change literature were perceived to be present and significant in California school districts which chose to become Challenge Districts. The literature identifies that an organization is more likely to adopt an innovation or reform if the reform is perceived to be compatible with existing practices, has perceived publicity value, is responsive to external and internal pressure, is communicated between key individuals or groups, has the approval of peer elites, has a payoff, there is a belief that it can be successful, is compatible with district needs, and there is readiness for change in the organization. The respondents in this study were representatives of the thirty-two California school districts which submitted a Letter of Intent to become a Challenge District by March 15, 1996. Respondents received a questionnaire by fax which was answered through a telephone interview. This study found that the conditions which were present to the greatest degree and had the greatest influence on the decision to implement the Challenge District Reform Initiative were compatibility with existing needs, compatibility with existing practices, payoff for participation due to benefits matching what districts want to address, top administrator's readiness for change, and belief that the district could be successful. Although districts anticipated that there would be some publicity for becoming a Challenge District, this condition did not consistently influence district's decisions. Communication among districts, among respected peers, and from professional organizations did not appear to occur to a great degree and when it did occur it was ineffective in influencing district's decision. The only communications which influenced district's decisions was communication with California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Eastin and her deputy. Districts did not report local external pressure for change; yet data from comments identified that external pressure to meet upcoming state and federal requirements significantly influenced districts' adoption decisions. With a few exceptions, the influence to become a Challenge District was due to the interest of top administrators who were ready for change and believed that the district could be successful in adopting the Challenge District Reform Initiative.