Examines criticisms of school-effectiveness research (SER) in two papers by Martin Thrupp and by Roger Slee and Gaby Weiner in this special issue. Despite critics' focus on SER's overclaiming, undertheorizing, and political ineptitude, the main issue seems to be researchers' dismissive attitudes and their suppression of scholarly debate. (Contains…

At the 10th International Congress for School Effectiveness and School Improvement, participants noted progress in effectiveness research regarding development of outcome measures, size effects, measures of educational processes, and variables contributing to effectiveness. School-improvement research has focused on schools' status changes,…

Australians were reluctant to become involved in the school-effectiveness approach because of concerns about standardized testing procedures. Driven by economic considerations, some large-scale effectiveness research projects have been commissioned by Commonwealth and state governments. Recent reports show evidence of close links between school…

Conceptual problems in the school-effectiveness literature are examined in this paper, with a focus on the development of two models for school effectiveness. Four necessary components of an effective-schools model include the nature and extent of the educational goals, techniques for recognition, methods for measuring school effectiveness, and…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the perceptions of educational stakeholders in two regions of the Victorian Ministry of Education toward effective-schools issues. Data were obtained from a survey mailed to a total of 1,060 principals, school councillors, teachers, parents, and students in 100 schools--50 schools each from the…

Two decades after two U.S. and UK studies jump-started the school-effectiveness research movement, the American Educational Research Association invited the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement to present a symposium on international developments. The six papers herein critique and assess the movement's contributions.…

In some countries there has been a general trend toward centralizing control in areas such as the development and measurement of school goals while also increasing responsibility at the school level for financial and staffing decisions and for structuring learning activities to achieve those goals. The British and New Zealand educational reforms…

A review of the school-effectiveness literature found that the concept of school effectiveness has been shaped by researchers and policymakers, not by those being asked to implement the concept. This paper presents findings of a study that sought to establish an understanding of what "school effectiveness" meant to the people involved in…