This paper examines the reading scores at Cleveland City elementary and secondary schools in 1985-86 to determine whether parity of black and white students' academic achievement had been achieved. Parity is accomplished when the proportion of black students achieving at or above the 33rd percentile on a reading comprehension test is substantially…

A questionnaire responded to by 34 randomly selected Illinois school districts with high school enrollments under 500 provided information contradicting an Illinois State Board of Education report that cast doubt on the educational effectiveness of smaller schools. The questionnaire's first section sought information about each district's…

Work being conducted by the Wisconsin Center for Education Research on the topic of effective secondary schools is described. The first section of this paper contains a summary of planning activities. A 5-year proposal for the Center on Effective Secondary Schools is described as well as an evaluation of that proposal. The second section presents…

This document presents an overview of the design and implementation stages of the Spencerport (New York) More Effective Schools/Teaching Project. The first section lists nine reasons for the uniqueness of the Spencerport project, including district size, its racial and economic components, participant satisfaction, a set of clearly defined goals,…

Success may be conceptualized within five major domains: academic, aesthetic, social, physical, and moral. The five domains may be further considered either within an individual or a societal dimension, depending on which party principally benefits. Finally, success can be further subdivided into two models; one being competitive, which is termed…

The purpose of this hearing was to present testimony on the concept of effective schools and to discuss the Effective Schools Development in Education Act of 1985, H.R. 747. This report includes statements from: (1) Dr. Robert N. Fortenberry, superintendent of the Jackson (Mississippi) Municipal Separate School District; (2) Dr. Eric Cooper,…

Research indicates that the characteristics of schools can affect student performance. School improvement reforms depend on the involvement of individual teachers and administrators, but research also suggests that individuals are more likely to commit themselves to change when a positive, supportive change environment pervades the entire…

Conceived by the Minnesota State Legislature, the Minnesota Educational Effectiveness Program is a school improvement and staff development program. Its participants perceive the program as a method for identifying areas of concern and for providing staff with the processes to effect change. As of September 1987, 328 Minnesota schools are in…

School and classroom climate is often cited in effective schools research as being important for student achievement. This consumer guide is intended to help educators evaluate their own educational climate by providing reviews and descriptions of the major tests and surveys used to assess climate. Section 2 presents reasons for examining school…

Recently, reports on the crisis of the American high school have appeared. Members of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors are high school guidance counselors and college admissions and financial aid officers who work directly with students and families as they move from high school to postsecondary education. As such, they…

The role of the principal as the key decision-maker, problem-solver, and agent of change at the school site is discussed in this paper. A review of the recent literature indicates the major ways in which this role may be enhanced to bring about school effectiveness. The first section discusses the skills necessary to be a principal in today's…

At the 1986 American Educational Research Association (AERA) convention, findings were presented from 14 schools that had implemented the "Reaching Success through Involvement" (RSI) strategy, which requires (1) the use of a comprehensive school assessment process; and (2) formal and informal participation of student leaders. The present…

School principals are an important factor in the improvement of American schools. Key findings of two studies show that principals are the most significant people in the educational change process. Outlined are seven important steps involved in the process of instructional improvement that will take place only if committed and knowledgeable…

This study outlines and demonstrates a methodology for identifying effective schools using a random sample of student data generated by the operation of a school district's Instructional Accomplishment Information (IAI) system. (IAI systems are designed to provide school districts with information for reviewing and planning their instructional…

This paper analyzes the importance of goals for the development of effective schools in general and for minority groups in particular. The first part of the paper reports on a study of the preferred goals of four minority groups in Nova Scotia and how they compared with the goals of the province's Department of Education. The study found that (1)…