Fragile changes, sturdy lives: Implementing authentic assessment in schools

This study examines data from four schools that struggled to develop and implement authentic learning and assessment over a 3-year period. The study begins by identifying the factors that were significant in the schools' attempts to implement this pedagogical change. The identified factors serve as a frame for a broader discussion of why changes in the core technology of teaching and assessment are so difficult and how they differ from changes in school organization and governance.