Describes a longitudinal observation of Chicago school reform by a research team, and chronicles a method for tracking the implications of school reform over time. The study concludes that Chicago school reform gained strength because it originated as a broad-based social movement that spread ownership among many groups and defined reform as an…

Discusses the relationship between Chicago's school reform and history, noting implications for current reform: (1) origins of bureaucracy and ascendance of experts and professionals; (2) educational reform as a social movement; (3) race and ethnicity; (4) revitalization of the public sphere; and (5) limits of educational reform. (SM)