Pressure for reform in schools may come from a number of sources, as society demands more of schools.¹  Government efforts for schools to increase student performance in relation to future employment prospects have resulted in a number of national curriculum reforms leading to increased accountability requirements for schools.²  Although the calls for curriculum reform may be many, successful reforms are far less frequent, and in some cases failure is almost predictable.³  Factors affecting the success of curriculum reform include the inability of reform makers to accurately diagnose the systemic problems or to correctly evaluate programs before implementation.⁴  The factors leading to successful reform in one situation do not necessarily apply to another.⁵ 

Although the idea of an implementation process that has a systematic, logical progression of steps to follow is attractive to teachers and administrators, the literature suggests that a linear approach does not always work.⁶  The process of reform is full of conflict, uncertainty, and ambiguities.⁷  It is also apparent that the effects of reform or change are often contradictory, leading to tensions or conflicts.⁸  These tensions, or dilemmas, are features that must be managed by those implementing reforms.⁹  The way that teachers “craft their own theories and actions” to address these dilemmas has a fundamental effect on the change process, which means that there can be no single solution to any one problem.¹⁰  For example, pedagogical change often results in teachers' having to find their own balance between process and content in teaching—“lecturing and seatwork” versus “preparing students to organize and monitor their own work.”¹¹  School cultures and curriculum structures are constantly challenged by the demands of school authorities, leading to significant tensions.¹²  Many principals, for example, face daily dilemmas as they balance external requirements with decisions made within schools.¹³