This paper describes education reform projects designed to bring about major improvements in school outcomes. Individually the projects illustrate characteristics of educational reform in local contexts for primary and secondary education. In all of these contexts there are three clear domains that must be addressed for any successful reform process to occur. They are the clarity of purpose of the reform process, clarity about the impact of the local context of the reforms and, most importantly, the quality and performance of those charged with the reforms - in other words, the purpose, the place and the people. In combination they signal key components essential to getting large scale high-quality school cultures geared to student success.