Argues that if schools are to be made more effective, educators must understand the interaction between their academic and socialization functions, as well as comprehend what happens in schools and the societal context in which schools are embedded. (MP)

Improving school effectiveness is not a realistic policy goal for the '80s; the goal of maintaining effectiveness at reduced cost levels (i.e., improving efficiency) should be substituted. New technology is creating the potential for reducing costs in education and its adoption may help to overcome traditional political resistance to cost-based…

Examines factors that might explain the increased interest in research on school effectiveness; summarizes three articles that deal with school improvement and effectiveness research; and stresses the importance of using exceptional schools' research in developing school improvement strategies. (MJL)

Recent pressures for school accountability and effectiveness herald a new public critique of schools and require that principals educate the public about the problems and goals of schools. (JW)

Sketches the Ohio Department of Education strategy for making effective schools, that is, by defining school effectiveness and by citing the general factors influencing the conduct of effective programs. (JW)

Experience in 12 Colorado school districts suggests that implementation of a four-day school week can offer several benefits, including savings in fuel costs, decreased absenteeism, improved efficiency in activity-oriented classes, increased staff development time, and a flexible "fifth day" for extracurricular activities. (PGD)

Describes a school improvement program and the reasons for its successes and failures. (JM)

A study reveals that high school teachers are less likely than their elementary counterparts to share a common purpose. Elementary principals have more opportunity than high school principals do to be instructional leaders. (Author/JM)

Examines some problems with school effectiveness research, including small samples, indentification error, and inappropriate comparisons. Nevertheless, the article concludes that characteristics of effective schools can be useful in school improvement as long as facile solutions are avoided in favor of incremental long-term cultural change.…

The United States is one of few nations requiring considerable administrator training to become certified. Private-school students outperform their public-school peers, even though private-school administrators have considerably less graduate training than public-sector administrators. Using 1987-88 Schools and Staffing Survey data, this article…

The assumption that school-based management enhances school effectiveness and educational quality becomes problematic if the relationship between educational quality and SBM is conceptually unclear. This paper explains how SBM characteristics at multilevels can contribute to the emphasis and concerns of seven different educational models…

Reviews ways in which performance data are currently used within the England and Wales education systems. Uses research evidence to critique many of these uses. Presents some alternative proposals for a more rational approach. (BT)

Summarizes a United Kingdom study investigating differential school effectiveness. Measures overall school effects versus departmental differences in effects on 16-year-old students' General Certificate in Secondary Education performance, the internal consistency of departmental effects across six subject outcomes, and the stability of school and…

Using student socioeconomic status, teacher training and experience, and school characteristic variables, analyzes 2 years of California's Academic Performance Index scores for 2 large urban districts. Finds strong evidence that this measure of school performance is largely driven by the socioeconomic conditions of the school. Teacher training and…

Compared two programs in England with regard to their roles in stimulating effective school improvement: the Local Education Authority in Birmingham and a university-inspired improvement project. Visits to 10 primary and secondary schools revealed factors that promote and discourage the capacity to change. (SLD)