By taking this course I realized that it is possible to meet the needs of diverse student populations using well-recognized school reform models. Ron Edmonds provides a quote that sums up this course quite well: “We can, whenever we wish, successfully teach all children whose education is of interest to us. We already know more than we need to do this. Whether or not we do will depend on how we feel about the fact that we have not done so thus far” (David Boers, personal communication, April 8, 2011). We have the know-how and the means; we just have to act. The key texts and supplementary materials studied in this course illustrate that improvements are possible, we just need to take action. Both Marzano and Schmoker provide practical, research-based techniques for improving schools. They describe programs that a school could use directly to improve current programs. This course helped convince me that simple changes would really help students learn. It was my opinion that a major system overhaul was the only way to improve our education system. What I became convinced of by reading these authors is that it is not necessary to change the entire system; we just need to make sure teachers do their job. Teachers must meet existing standards set by the state. The teaching techniques needed for improvement are already well researched and available to all teachers. In his book What Works in Schools, Translating Research into Action, Marzano brings together 35 years of research supporting the effectiveness of school reform. The author organizes the factors that most impact student achievement into three main topics: (1) school-level factors, (2) teacher-level factors, and (3) student-level factors… half of the paper ... ....no and Schmoker as well as Direct Instruction, Coalition of Effective Schools and Effective Schools Research Models. All are well supported by research showing clear academic improvements. We have the tools we need and the staff to do the job. All we need is leadership to make the changes necessary to help all children have access to a great education. References Marzano, R.J. (2003) What works in schools: translating research into action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.Schmoker, Mike, (2006) Current Findings: How We Can Achieve Unprecedented Improvements in Teaching and Learning. Alexandria VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Wisconsin Department of Education. (2008) Wisconsin Educator Standards - Teachers Retrieved from: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/tepdl/stand10.html