When the rubber hits the road – reform disconnection Allan Walker In this paper I delve into some of the frustrations associated with implementing current reforms in Hong Kong schools The basic argument is that individually many of the reforms are beneficial and indeed applauded by the education community, but that when parcelled together and thrust at speed at schools they are unwieldy and disconnected Whereas there are undoubtedly reform success stories in individual schools, such positives appear scattered and cast within a larger picture of doubt, uncertainty and even confusion In the paper, I suggest that the inability of the reforms to penetrate deeply into schools is because they lack sufficient connection to the reality of school life, to each other, to educative and public perceptions and to the political and cultural context of Hong Kong Issues targeting these areas are discussed under the headings of instrumental, intellectual, political, cultural and communicative disconnections The challenge of education reform, I suggest, is to derive ways to address these disconnections and thus move toward more effectual implementation The paper has three parts The first part sketches the broad reform environment with specific reference to recent reforms targeting school curriculum, governance and accountability In this part I not attempt to paint an all-inclusive picture of education reform but to give a general taste of some of the more influential initiatives The second part outlines and illustrates six points of disconnection which appear to impede the successful implementation of the reforms Although these points of disconnection are discussed under separate headings, in reality, they are demonstrably entangled with each influencing the other The final part suggests a number of key ‘connection’ challenges facing educators All discussion is bounded by the reality that educational policy, particularly at the school implementation level, constantly interacts with shifting local conditions and societal cultures that filter its shape and efficacy and that each of us may well see the trials and tribulations of reform in very different ways