When Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb, he made it look like a gaslight to increase the likelihood of its adoption. He understood that human perception can be the biggest hurdle to implementing change (Conner, 1992) . Although we sometimes belittle others because they resist change or because we mistakenly think that they lack the capacity or desire to change, they may, in fact, be troubled by the uncertainty of the future and how change will affect them.

Most people handle small changes easily enough. But too much change at once, especially too much unexpected change with consequences people don't fully understand, can result in failure. Certainly, schools vary in their capacity for change, just as individuals vary in terms of their comfort level with change. Some people are more venturesome and willing to immediately take risks. Others want to be convinced that a new idea will work before they try it. Most people fall somewhere in-between.

Researchers studying change processes in education systems and other organizations have developed various theories about how change occurs. In general, they have found that organizations typically move from the status quo, in which people are maintaining the old way of doing things (or, at most, tinkering a bit with new ways of doing things), to an initial awareness that more substantive change is needed. Once enough individuals in the organization sense the need for change, a stage of exploration begins, during which teachers, administrators, and policymakers study and visit places that are trying new approaches. However, during this stage, not everyone supports change. Some people resist change, are apathetic about it, or fail to see how it applies to them.

During the transitioning phase, people grow more concerned about change and, as new practices are put in place, begin to see how change will affect them. During this phase, individuals learn about the change, then eventually become persuaded of its value and decide to support it. At first, the use of the new practice or innovation may seem awkward or forced, but over time, it will become more routine.

As change becomes more routine and ingrained into daily practices, the transitioning phase gives way to the early stages of adoption, during which new practices emerge and resources are used to support change. At this point, staff members begin to devote their energies to integrating new practices with other efforts to improve their effect on student learning.

Finally, emergence gives way to dominance of the new system, during which users turn their attention to refining the original innovation based on lessons learned from its implementation. The figure below graphically summarizes this process, showing that change occurs in stages over time, an idea that is important to keep in mind as we consider the components of effective school reform in the next section. Most likely, these variances are evident in your own school community as you undertake the process of transforming into a new system.

In summary, change occurs slowly, sometimes more slowly than school leaders might like. This is because staff members are not always on the same page. Some may support change outright; others may adopt a "wait-and-see" approach; still others may flatly resist change. School leaders need to be aware that at any stage in the process, people may need different kinds of encouragement and support.

When you began planning for comprehensive reform, at least some of your team members were aware of the need for change, which the self-study process helped clarify. The team explored possibilities for reform, then mapped out a detailed plan, which your school should now be poised to carry out. Working through these initial stages perhaps made it clear that you have already begun transitioning to the new system.

During this middle stage of reform, your school community may display these characteristics:

• The initial use of new methods and strategies is more mechanical than smooth, marked by struggles with logistics and task management.
• Individuals are concerned about personal issues (how the reform program will affect them) and managerial issues (how to implement the program).
• There are ups and downs, fits and starts, and attempts to return to how things were.
• Even those who originally expressed support for the program display varying degrees of enthusiasm for the program.

¹Conner, D. R. (1992). Managing at the speed of change: How resilient managers succeed and prosper where others fail. New York: Villard Books.