From the press release (doc):
The report, prepared by Potomac Communications Group of Washington, DC under a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, provides a candid glimpse into the NSF's Urban Systemic Program (USP), the first national effort to reform how a school district teaches and students perform in science and math throughout an entire school system.
Launched in 1994, the USP was the first time that the NSF gave funds directly to school districts rather than through universities. It offered districts the opportunity to address their own education challenges and control how funds were spent. The NSF approach was also unique because it treated funded districts as systems that needed to be completely overhauled. Final funding to the last of 30 districts ended in September of 2006.
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What Works Best in Science and Mathematics Education Reform focuses on what worked, what did not and the lessons learned during the USP. It presents the stories of eight funded districts and includes interviews with teachers, students, principals and administrators.
You can download the entire report (pdf). I'd like to see what other bloggers think about this.