The main purpose of this article is to figure out major characteristics of new school restr-ucturing by introducing a new comprehensive research on school restructuring in America and exploring ways of applying the results to school reform in Korea. The recent education reform movement gives too much attention to changes in school organization that do not directly address the quality of student learning. School restructuring focused on new administrative arrangements and teaching techniques contribute to improved learning only if they are carried out within a framework that focuses on learning of high intellectual quality. Based on analyses of both qualitative and quantitative data sets from nationally representative samples of American elementary and secondary schools, this study found that learning engages students in constructing knowledge, through disciplined inquiry, to produce discourse, products, and performances that have value beyond certifying success in school. Student learning can meet these high standards if educators and the public give students three kinds of support: teachers who practice authentic pedagogy; schools that build organizational capacity by strengthening professional community; and external agencies and parents that support schools to achieve the high quality student learning.