Argues that excellence in education arises from understanding and meeting the learning needs of students. Discusses a holistic view of school functioning in which staff work together to create a consistent learning environment by defining common fundamental beliefs about learning and the essential elements of teaching. 5 references. (SV)

Offers opinions on what characteristics effective schools hold in common. Case studies of South Boston High School and George Washington Preparatory High School (California) reveal changes they made that led to dramatic improvements in their school's effectiveness. Also addressed are numerous lessons learned through past efforts to improve…

Discusses the pacing of learning activity, knowledge of progress in student learning, teacher role, accountability in learning, feedback on knowledge of success, the global functioning assessment concept, and the mother surrogate. (RS)

Oasis High is a small, effective, alternative school that helps high-risk students beat the odds. Staff actively nurture students' growth. Success depends on student ownership, a family atmosphere, a nontraditional school building, effective counseling, a well-equipped computer lab, on-site day care, varied teaching methods, and a noncoercive…

This study examines (1) the generalizability of a principal instructional leadership model proposed by Bossert, Dwyer, Rowan, and Lee (1982) across school levels, and (2) whether elementary principals exert more influence over school achievement than secondary principals. Findings supported (1) but not (2). Theoretical and practical implications…

Assistant principals are a neglected variable in the effective schools equation. The traditional conceptualization of assistant principals as disciplinarians still prevails, despite these administrators' usefulness as change agents, motivators, ethical models, community relations agent, care givers, and innovators. (MLH)

A research psychologist at Princeton (Ohio) City Schools attributes district success to a polished management by objectives (MBO) approach helping educators set priorities, stay focused, and meet educational goals. Steps for determining district needs, developing objectives, and monitoring progress are provided. Schools have flexibility to tackle…

Describes Borton Primary Magnet School in Arizona, a nationally recognized neighborhood and magnet school. Describes the staff, approaches to literacy, the school library's role, bilingual classrooms, parent involvement, and evaluation. (SR)

Reviews the International School Improvement Project, highlighting its structure, outcomes, and substance, and identifies some of the major characteristics of ISIP knowledge. Compares this knowledge with knowledge emanating from the effective schools literature and suggests areas for future collaboration. Includes 40 references. (MLH)

Examines recruitment and examination performance of 327 British grant-maintained schools from 1991 to 1996, compared to 108 local education authority schools. The GM schools' apparently higher performance may be attributed to having fewer socially disadvantaged students and reducing this proportion over time. Implications are discussed. Contains…

This study, carried out in Israel, examines how important autonomy is in influencing school effectiveness, as measured by criteria such as teachers' sense of motivation and commitment to the school. The author argues that further research is needed before formulating any theory concerning the relationship between school autonomy and school…

Identifies a set of considerations for school systems and policy makers contemplating the development or improvement of alternative schools, including whether systems need more than one alternative school, how their effect should be judged, organization for instruction and for staffing, and how the learning environment should be arranged. (SR)

Shows how a focus on fixing "problem" students may obscure or ignore school-based problems. Defines school characteristics associated with three types of alternative schools, with competing purposes: to educate, discipline, or heal. Notes ill effects of punitive approaches, and discusses three interrelated factors shown by research to…

Applied a between-grade design to the estimation of school effectiveness and examined the agreement between the resulting estimates and those obtained from the traditional statistical control model. Analysis of data from 11,099 intermediate-grade students in Israel shows that neither method produced estimates that were stable across grade level…

Summarizes the achievement score change results on 292 schools that were granted the outcomes endorsement process in the 1997-98 or 1998-99 school years. Charts the progress of the NCA COS outcomes-endorsed schools in the improvement efforts. Emphasizes achievement change scores and patterns of goal selection. (VWC)