Larry Cuban

Cuban revisits the persistent ‘grammar of schooling’—the deep structures and routines that make schools resistant to change—and reflects on repeated efforts to alter these arrangements. He situates contemporary reform within a century of attempts to change time, grouping, curriculum, and pedagogy, arguing that while surface-level innovations recur, core organizational features endure and shape what changes are possible. The essay calls for historically informed modesty in reform ambitions. citeturn12search0turn12search2

Using a century of AERA presidential addresses, Cuban traces how leaders repeatedly affirmed the association’s mission to use research to improve educational practice, even as reform movements, demographics, and contexts shifted. He shows this mission’s continuity, the recurring debates about research relevance, and the contested nature of translating research into practice. citeturn11search0turn11search1

Deschenes, Cuban, and Tyack review a century of labels applied to students who fail to meet prevailing expectations and analyze four historical explanations for poor performance: individual deficits, families, school inefficiencies, and cultural difference. They argue that standards-era reforms risk reproducing mismatches unless schools adapt to students and address broader inequalities. citeturn13search0

Based on observations in Silicon Valley schools, Cuban, Kirkpatrick, and Peck document a paradox: despite wide access to computers, most high school teachers used them rarely and in limited ways. They explain low uptake through teacher beliefs, classroom demands, organizational constraints, and policy-implementation gaps, concluding that access alone does not transform instruction. citeturn8search0

Cuban reflects on debates among historians about whether and how history should inform policy. He argues that while history seldom yields prescriptive ‘lessons,’ accurate historical understanding can help policymakers and practitioners frame problems, recognize recurring patterns, and avoid repeating past mistakes. citeturn17search0

Through a historical case study of Stanford’s medical school, Cuban distinguishes between reform rhetoric and durable practice. He shows that numerous structural and curricular changes over eight decades produced limited shifts in core instructional practices, illustrating how institutional cultures and incentives can yield ‘change without reform.’ citeturn23search2turn18search1

Analyzing superintendent tenure across the 20th century, Yee and Cuban find that although average tenure declined, it did so unevenly and less precipitously than commonly claimed. They point to complex environmental, local, and professional factors behind turnover and caution against simple links between short tenures and district performance. citeturn19search0

In this classic essay, Cuban explains why U.S. schools experience recurring waves of reform with modest classroom impact. He emphasizes organizational constraints, political pressures, and the stability of teacher practice, urging more realistic expectations and attention to implementation. citeturn12search3

Drawing on superintendent experience, Cuban examines how ‘effective schools’ findings were translated into district policy. He argues superintendents must balance top‑down and bottom‑up strategies, beware unintended consequences of narrow test‑score goals, and create conditions that enable school‑level instructional improvement. citeturn14search1turn14search7

Cuban analyzes initiatives to teach reasoning, arguing that policy-driven programs often outpace evidence and rely on ‘unplanned designs’ that neglect classroom realities. He highlights tensions among psychological, curricular, and assessment perspectives and calls for coherent designs that align goals, measures, and instructional supports. citeturn14search3