Incentives, Capacity, and Implementation: Evidence from Massachusetts Education Reform

Since the 1980s, most of the states and the U.S. federal governmenthave enacted policies based upon the theory of standards-basededucation reform. These policies attempt to use incentives toovercome the difficulty of implementing policy in a looselycoupled system. This article presents a case study of the implementationof standards-based reform in Massachusetts. The case study showshow poorly thought-out incentive structures, lack of capacity,and lack of trust impeded implementation of the reforms. TheMassachusetts experience has implications for the educationreform movement nationwide, because Massachusetts has been aleader in the movement. Analysis of the Massachusetts case alsocontributes to the literature on how context affects policyimplementation.