Describes a program at Kishwaukee Elementary School in Rockford (Illinois) designed to improve the effectiveness of this inner-city school. (Author/JM)

Without more unanimity about which characteristics contribute to a school's effectiveness, it is difficult to know which characteristics to use as a focus for improvement. (Author/JM)

Identifies a number of key areas for further research on school effectiveness. The author draws up a framework of questions by which future studies might be assessed. He also argues that certain aspects of the way in which research on school effectiveness is conducted should be rethought. (CT)

Discussion groups of 100 teachers, 55 parents, 12 principals, and 40 students; survey responses from 50 parents, and interviews with 15 community members revealed positive attitudes about volunteer involvement in a school district, frustrations about limited time for volunteer coordination, and lack of support structure. Common school assumptions…

Focuses on secondary school departments in England, arguing that current approaches to school improvement do not adequately reflect or incorporate the department level. Highlights the processes that contribute to improved departmental performance, and subsequently, to school and classroom improvement, drawing upon empirical evidence from two…

Reviews selected research literature on the size of school effects compared with teacher effects. Analysis does not confirm general impression that teacher effects outweigh school effects. Discusses reasons for this conclusion. (Contains 31 references.) (PKP)

Pervasive mistrust in societal institutions may be keeping many community members from participating in forums on public education's future. If our democracy is to function, we must dispel distrust by talking face-to-face to one another. There is something especially meaningful about conversing one-on-one or in small groups about fundamental…

Examines empirical research on school in developing countries. Reports large between-school variance, strong influence of material and human-resource input factors, and limited impact of instructional conditions. Discusses contextual challenges to the school-effectiveness model. Explores the use of the school-effectiveness knowledge base for…

Studied two effective school improvement programs in elementary education in the Netherlands. Although the programs had the same goals, their strategies were different. Identified successful characteristics of both programs and found evidence for the success of both approaches. (SLD)

The London studies of school effectiveness in the 1970s provided evidence that the qualities of schools made a significant difference to pupil progress. This article reviews the further evidence that has accumulated since then in order to assess how far the findings have been confirmed or refuted, what new questions have arisen and what key…

The author envisions schools as communities of learners. A school's quality, character, and student accomplishments depend heavily on collegiality, or the nature of its adult relationships. Other factors include encouragement to take risks, choice and commitment, respect for diversity, space for philosophers, a sense of humor, and leadership…

Although there is no way to keep all teachers in a school happy, it is possible to maintain morale by avoiding conflict. This article distinguishes among types of conflict (episodic, continuous, and terminal) and describes four conflict situations involving personal feuding, persecution by superiors, cooperation breakdowns, and ideological…

How state educational authorities in Kentucky use statewide test data to rank the state's 178 school districts was studied, using data from the "Kentucky Essential Skills Test: Statewide Testing Results" (1987). The methods used, means of refining those methods, the fairness/accuracy/validity of resulting interpretations, and problems…

Discusses how businesses can help improve the effectiveness of schools. Types of involvement include funding projects, establishing endowments, funding scholarships, offering financial aid counseling, establishing job-guarantee programs, and providing opportunities for faculty development. (JOW)

Personnel references, comprising a major component in the employee screening and selection process, are viewed from three perspectives: types of information contributed, use of such information in decision-making, and legal implications of contributing the information. Advice is provided for reducing the probability of a successful suit. Includes…