The term revitalization presupposes that something is in danger or threatened – as a consequence, language revitalization is often seen as a response to language endangerment and as a way of undoing past injustices. While revitalization processes take place in the present, such processes follow long timescales and are deeply embedded in local historical contexts. Language revitalization may be experienced as positive and emancipatory, but the process can also be difficult because those attempting to reclaim their language may have to face hurts of the past, which have been passed down through generations and have consequences today. An analysis of current efforts to revitalize Kven and Sámi languages in Northern Norway sheds light on such inherent tensions in revitalization processes, concluding that it is essential to recognize tensions and contradictory forces exerted on the individuals who attempt to reclaim their language and to support them on their language journey.

This concluding chapter looks across the eight country case studies of implementation of education reform. It sets out to analyse the patterns, commonalities and differences in the reforms. It does so under headings which are seen as the key factors: the importance of context; timescales; the key role of communication; models of implementation; the role played by internal and external actors and stakeholders. Finally, there is a cross case analysis of the practicalities and truisms that are often overlooked in the rush to govern or manage a system to respond to a political imperative. These are described as reality checks, reminders that educational changes involve real people with direct and indirect interests in what they do in their working and learning lives, people with a deep understanding of their environment and thousands of hours engaged in learning, years of professional experience and stores of practice knowledge. These obvious and readily observable lessons are often overlooked and could be of use to designers, policymakers and deliverers of educational reform.