This guide provides experienced education researchers with suggestions for conducting high-quality effectiveness studies to overcome research challenges common to rural settings. The guide addresses four factors that researchers must consider when conducting educational effectiveness research in rural settings: (1) study design, (2) recruitment of…

While academic and student affairs partnership programs have been championed as a means to enhance undergraduate education, research documenting the characteristics of effective partnership programs is sparse. The Boyer Partnership Assessment Project is a qualitative examination of academic and student affairs partnership programs at 18, diverse…

This is the first report from an ongoing study of four urban school districts (New York, New Orleans, Chicago, and the District of Columbia) that are experimenting with new school designs and new ways of holding schools accountable for performance. This report introduces the idea of a "portfolio school district," and shows how some leading school…

The International Handbook of Teacher and School Development brings together a collection of research and evidence-based authoritative writings which focus on international teacher and school development. Drawing on research from 18 countries across 7 continents, the 40 chapters are grouped into 10 themes which represent key aspects of teacher and…

This book presents research findings about school-level and district level practices and successful strategies employed in mathematics education by highly effective schools that serve high-poverty communities. It includes both the theory and practice of creating highly effective schools in these communities. In 2002 nine schools were selected in…

Focuses on the long-term effects of the Danish school system on students. Summarizes a research project of comparison interviews with former students of experimental and ordinary schools. Reports that students from experimental schools evaluate their schools more positively but rate their preparation for further education as less adequate than…

A project developed and tested an Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Guide (IEAG) that incorporated themes and factors identified by Wardlow et al. (1992) as contributing to excellence. An interpretive design was used to enable researchers to gain input and consensus from participants of exemplary institutions regarding the institutional-level…

To assess student achievement, states use a variety of accountability tools including school report cards, effectiveness scores, and school rankings. Responses from all 50 state departments of education showed that 19 states rank schools on their effectiveness as part of the state's accountability system. Three states use test scores alone for…

Examines unresolved problems and future prospects for research concerning school quality. Asserts that the proportion of variance among factors such as, school system, school type, grade levels, individual schools, and learning groups makes consideration of the schools as a homogenous whole doubtful. Includes numerous statistical tables and…

Presents an historical overview of the development of research from a narrow input-output approach to a holistic approach that evaluates within-school processes. Finds that selective processes produce higher academic achievement. (CFR)

Characteristics of schools that have succeeded in becoming unusually effective for all students include the following: (1) insistence that all participants take responsibility for improvement; (2) persistence in seeking to attain high standards; (3) resiliency in moving forward despite obstacles and discouragements; and (4) consistency in…

Argues for a sociological analysis of effective schools as opposed to the positivist paradigm. Maintains that the practice of schooling cannot be separated from the broader social, cultural, and political aspects of the local community. Profiles four high schools and their educational philosophies. (MJP)

This monograph examines effective schooling for language minority students through a review of current practices, an analysis of current thinking on related issues, and a look at actual exemplary schools and programs. The first section briefly reviews effective schools research as an introduction to the text. The second section looks in detail at…

Numerous documented examples are presented of how research has contributed to the development of constructive education policies and practices throughout the country. Part 1 discusses the use of research in California, South Carolina, Florida, and Connecticut. Also described are the efforts of specific organizations that are using research to…

Factors that contribute to excellence in education, as well as those that have contributed to the failure of change efforts, are the subject of this document. It provides a summary of the literature on reform efforts; effective schools; new organizational perspectives derived from the business sector; organizational restructuring being tested in…