An Evaluation of Creative Learning Communities in Classrooms: A Two-Year Study of the Implementation of School Reform

The Creative Learning Communities (CLC) grants program, as part of the Disney Learning Partnership, has initiated a philanthropic initiative to assist participating elementary schools involved in school reform to institute collaborative and creative learning environments. This evaluation of the first years of the grants program by the UCLA Center for the Study of Evaluation/ CRESST presents data findings collected over a 2-year period from 32 CLC schools. The report highlights the overall implementation process of the CLC grants, trends in school changes from one year to the next, and a case study component of 8 schools, which includes an analysis of teacher interviews and classroom observations. Interim conclusions and recommendations for improving implementation of the CLC grants program are presented.