This paper uses a quality-assurance framework to unify the application of school-effectiveness and school-improvement knowledge to a school system. The paper proposes that effective school development is enhanced by the implementation of quality systems that recognize the stages of performance-development cycles. It discusses quality-assurance…

This paper presents findings of research that examined the effects of two recent educational reforms--restructuring to produce effective schools and mainstreaming students with disabilities into general classes. Specifically, the relationship between general- and special-education achievement to school-environment quality indicators in 56 southern…

From 1987 to 1995, the Accelerated Schools Project moved from a two-school pilot project to a national movement of over 700 schools in 35 states. This paper examines how the Accelerated Schools Centers have helped the expansion of the accelerated schools movement by recruiting and supporting schools in their regions, and how their institutional…

Effective schools exhibit unique structures and continuous change. Moral imperatives inspire people to sustain the commitment critical to building effective schools. Over 450 interviews with practitioners, parents, board members, politicians, academics, union leaders, consultants, and others are joined with background literature and research to…

This book describes outcomes of the Maine Academy for School Leaders (MASL) a professional development program designed to improve student-learning outcomes through improved leadership performance. It evaluates the impact of new leadership behaviors on the 58 participants' schools. One-half of the participants were teachers or other staff who held…

In previous studies of educational systems, Markov chains have often been used in simulations in which history played no role because all events were described as independent of each other. Mono-level dynamics (i.e., the social context in which learning occurs is ignored) have also been applied to simulations. Educational theories, however, are…

A study of 24 elementary, middle, and high schools conducted by the Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools (CORS) found that simply adding school-based support services to bureaucratically organized schools is unlikely to prove effective, and does not necessarily produce better student achievement. However, the research linked schools…

This paper focuses on the development of the school-review process as it has evolved in the New South Wales (NSW), Australia, Department of School Education. The paper describes the background and context of the NSW public school system, which has undergone devolved management structures, rapid societal changes, and professional collaboration. The…

This guidebook includes information compiled by the "Audit Manual" committee of Community College Internal Auditors (CCIA) from several California community college districts regarding their internal auditing practices. The first section of the guidebook discusses the purpose of internal audits, indicating that audits assist members of…

A basic tenet of the effective-schools movement is that all children can master the basic skills needed to be successful in school. Today, the twin notions of equity and excellence strongly drive the school-reform movement. This book examines the effective-schools movement as a school-reform philosophy and renewal process for the present and…

The history of the public schooling of African Americans during legalized segregation has focused almost exclusively on the inferior education that African American students received. In the national memory, African Americans have been victims of Whites who questioned the utility of providing Blacks with anything more than a rudimentary education…

This booklet is the fifth in a series of profiles of "what works" at high schools in the High Schools that Work program. It contains 40 outstanding practices descriptions aligned with the key practices of the High Schools that Work program. The profiles contain a short description of the strategies and contact information. Representative…

This report examines variations in school and classroom attributes that were associated with improved student achievement outcomes. Of particular interest were those attributes of Chapter 1 and regular school programs that contributed to improved outcomes for educationally at-risk students. A secondary focus was to measure the relationships…

This publication contains a brief description of secondary education in Spain. It constitutes one part of a series entitled "Guide to Secondary Education in Europe," developed as part of a Council of Europe project. Chapter 1 presents a general overview of the Spanish education system, with a focus on secondary education. Chapter 2…

From 1984 to 1993, California's Los Rios Community College District regularly conducted follow-up studies of completers and non-returning advanced-level students regarding their educational goals, outcomes, and levels of satisfaction. Over the 10-year period, nearly 33,000 students were surveyed, with over 15,700, or 48%, responding. Trends…