Universalization of basic education in India has increased demand for access to secondary schooling, yet concerns about quality and equity remain. While evidence of poor learning attainment continues to accumulate, less is known about classroom interactions or how these relate to student outcomes. In this article, we employ a unique data set that…

While the effect of teachers' unions on school districts continues to be debated, the research literature provides few definitive conclusions to guide these discussions. In this article, we examine the relationship between teachers' union contracts and school district efficiency. We define efficiency as the ratio of short-run productivity (student…

Across the globe, education quality has become synonymous with student performance. The shift towards test-based accountability (TBA) has changed what is required of schools and what it means to be a 'good teacher'. Different tools may trigger a performance orientation within schools, from administrative (such as the Inspectorate) to market…

This article introduces an Australian adaptation of an approach to supporting school leadership and improvement pioneered by educationalists David Townsend and Pam Adams, from Alberta, Canada. Referred to as the North Coast Initiative for School Improvement, the adaptation involved school leaders, academics, and government officials who combined…

The term Catholic microschool refers to a sustainable Catholic school that is rooted in the tenets of Catholic faith and that has employed excellence in faith formation, academic programs and operational vitality while maintaining a student population that is smaller than its neighboring schools. Overall, 25 percent of the Catholic schools in the…

It is a common perception among US employers, educators, and policymakers that there is a shortage of skilled workers who meet vacant manufacturing jobs requirements in the current workforce. Although opinions vary on who or what is responsible for this shortage, a bigger question remains: How do we fix the problem? The current study presented an…

School leaders play an essential role in their school's overall performance. Their leadership involves educational instruction, teacher and school staff collaboration, rapport with stakeholders and most importantly, how they shape academic growth among students. The research problem addressed the lack of leadership capacity among North Carolina…

State-wide tests are designed to measure student overall ability on grade-level standards. School leaders want fine-grained information on student performance to inform curriculum and instruction. One currently used target scoring method, which compares student scores to expected values is currently used to give this feedback to schools, but there…

The aim of this study was to characterize those schools in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (Spain) with high numbers of immigrant students in accordance with their effectiveness level (high or low). Three effectiveness criteria (scores, residuals, and times) were used to select the schools, resulting in three models: a ceiling or…

Human resources are frequently emphasized as being critical to the school social system's survival. This study examined the effects of teachers' negative attitudes toward the organization for which they work at the level of school effectiveness. The study sought to determine how negative attitudes of secondary school teachers toward their schools…

Despite the growing appeal of teacher leadership and teacher collaboration, we know little about the relationship between teacher leadership roles and collaboration. In this study, we use surveys (n = 523) and interviews (n = 47) of teachers to examine whether teacher leadership roles were associated with collaboration. We find that collaboration…

In the last two decades there has been a rapid increase in the number of students with autism who are enrolled in mainstream schools. Since the publication of the Salamanca Statement in 1994, the right to inclusive education for all children, including those with disabilities, has been increasingly recognised. This has created tensions and…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), establishes requirements for State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) to prepare and disseminate report cards that provide information on State, LEA, and school performance and progress in an understandable…

A well-intentioned bipartisan coalition came together in the late 20th century to spur improvement of the K-12 education system through test-based accountability and public school choice. The ability of this coalition to institute and maintain meaningful "accountability" proved extremely limited. State accountability systems morphed into…

School boards have become ground zero for America's education culture wars, with fiery debates over race, gender, curriculum, and pandemic policies making national headlines. But beyond the noise, how well do these elected bodies actually represent their communities? To find out, political scientists David Houston and Michael Hartney conducted the…