Chapter 4: Forging Pathways to Understanding: Using an Ecological Lens to Frame a School Reform Initiative

Because school reform spans so many dimensions, it is helpful to employ a framework that makes visible the complexity of the system. This conceptual essay uses the ecological frameworks of Elliot Eisner and Bruce Uhrmacher to define a comprehensive school remodeling effort in two diverse, high-poverty high schools in Vermont. The authors posit that an ecological approach to school change has potential to support equitable outcomes.