This paper examines school productivity research--research regarding school effects on students, divided into two broad classes according to whether the dependent variable is (a) later life consequences or (b) immediate student outcomes. The discussion is organized in four sections. First, six major issues in the methodology of school productivity…

This study tests the general hypothesis that there is no single best way to organize a middle school to meet the variety of needs of early adolescent students. Using data from a sample of 433 schools in the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment, it examines the effects of self-contained classroom instruction and departmentalization on two…

The debate about appropriate student-teacher authority relations in schools has persisted at least since the movement for "progressive education" in the 1920's, and it is reflected today in the debate between "open" education programs and "traditional" education programs. This paper, based on data from 7,361 students in elementary and secondary…