You raise two interesting questions. 1. What is needed for teachers to develop the will to move toward standards-based teaching and sustain standards-based teaching? I feel that teachers need a supportive environment in which time is provided to accomplish this, their work is valued, the leadership of the school/district recognizes that implementation will not happen in one step and appropriate resources are provided. 2.How is this possible if the system is unstable and teachers are receiving mixed messages from outside or inside the system? The power of the vertical team, with various levels of stakeholders as members, comes into strong play here along with the critical value of a strategic plan. The absence of either will make any systemic reform effort almost impossible to accomplish.