The process of allocating and reallocating resources is an ongoing one, with changes made regularly in the ways resources are deployed to meet changing demands. In many cases, the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about reallocation is cutting a position or eliminating a program. However, a growing number of district and school leaders…

Studies of high-performing schools, where all students learn more than similar students in other schools, show common design elements. These elements are comprehensive, affecting the whole school, and include: (1) Clear mission guiding daily activities; (2) High, unyielding expectations that all students will learn; (3) Frequent monitoring of…

The last major review of the achievement outcomes of comprehensive school reform (CSR) models was conducted in 2003. Despite the growing evidence base supporting CSR, the program was discontinued by the federal government in 2007. Now, six years after the 2003 meta-analysis, the study's lead author, Geoffrey Borman, revisits the results and…

Leadership is crucial for effective, lasting school improvement. Although research has established that strong, competent principals are vital for high-performing schools (Hallinger, 2003; Leithwood, 1994), attention is turning increasingly to the importance of effective district leadership, including school boards and their contributions to…

School improvement might be initiated by state or district mandate, or it might be motivated by the concerns of school personnel. Teachers and administrators frequently enter the process with some idea of what needs to be reformed or improved, but issues can be overemphasized or overlooked if the process does not begin with a comprehensive needs…

This month's newsletter highlights recent research that suggests a different approach to school reform. It looks at three studies in which schools that succeed--and all of them serve high percentages of at-risk students--take a more comprehensive approach to improvement. Each of the schools identified in this report approached reform…

In the world of school reform and improvement, attention is seldom paid to the role of the school board. Yet most school districts across the country are governed by an elected or appointed school board whose members are the ultimate architects of the district's plan for increasing student achievement. Therefore, a clear understanding of the…

This phrase, data-driven decision making, is familiar to most schools and districts engaged in comprehensive school reform and improvement. It reminds practitioners that their plans have a greater likelihood of succeeding if the goals and strategies within them are based on solid information and not on hunches or habit. But where can schools get…

To provide decision makers with the information they need to make informed decisions about school restructuring, The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement recently commissioned a series of papers titled "School Restructuring Options Under No Child Left Behind: What Works When?" Each of the four papers focuses on one of…

Schools and districts invest a great deal of time and money in professional development for teachers through instructional coaching. With this effort comes the responsibility to design coaching programs that have the greatest potential to improve classroom instruction and, in turn, increase student learning. What research is available to help…

Across the country, educators in schools that have not met their targets for improved student learning are considering next steps. As a first step, a school improvement plan that is grounded in data and based on a comprehensive needs assessment can provide a framework for effecting change for a school's programming, student support systems, and…

Growing concern about the academic proficiency of high school graduates has placed high school reform at the forefront of the education policy agenda. Critics have begun to question the degree of academic rigor in the nation's high schools, and many states and school districts are looking for ways to address this issue. This month's newsletter…

Decades of research support the role of a positive school climate on teaching and learning. This newsletter takes a look at the topic of school climate and sets out to determine: (1) What is school climate? (2) How can schools assess their school climate? (3) What are some practical examples of how schools are assessing school climate? and (4)…

This brief focuses on a vital aspect of efficacy known as "collective teacher efficacy" (CTE). CTE refers to the perceptions of teachers that the efforts of the faculty as a whole will have a positive effect on students. Principals and district leaders should turn their attention to improving CTE because it has an impressive list of positive…

This Research Brief provides a summary of the following study: Lachat, M. A., & Smith, S. (2005, July). Practices that support data use in urban high schools. "Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk," 10(3), 333-349. The Brief describes the methodology, suggestions for school improvement, and challenges identified in the…