{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.013588634959851761, 'fraction_numerical': 0.006176652254478073, 'mean_word_length': 5.532258064516129, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
The Challenges of Educational Reform in Modern-Day Peru1

implementing educational change. What process facilitates reform and what factors block the institutionalization of change efforts are universal questions that need answers. By taking a closer look at reform in international contexts, policymakers and educational leaders can develop insights into the process of change that transcend national borders. The purpose of this article is to examine a nationwide effort of educational reform in Peru. Specifically, we take a close look at the nation’s efforts to change secondary education through the implementation of a 2-year postsecondary learning opportunity called the bachillerato. First, we briefly present the contextual complexities in which the bachillerato was designed and piloted. Second, we explore the process of change undertaken by the Ministry of Education when introducing the bachillerato to the Peruvian citizens in 1997 and then compare the process with the change theory of Harvard researcher John Kotter. In his 1996 publication Leading Change, Kotter identifies eight critical steps that leaders must follow if major change efforts are to succeed. By juxtaposing Kotter’s popular change theory with the real-life process of implementing the bachillerato, we speculate about what actions facilitated and hindered the process of secondary educational reform in Peru. This comprehensive reflection on the change process and related challenges offers educational leaders and policymakers across the globe rare insights into the critical factors needed to support and sustain large-scale reform.