An exploratory study of five high schools involved in the Connecticut State Department of Education's Secondary School Development Project suggests that student performance factors (early termination, academic achievement, and student attendance) may be linked to effective school characteristics. This article summarizes the mixed results of the…

Examines two parallel secondary school systems in Northern Ireland popularly described as "Catholic" or "Protestant" in effectiveness terms. A value-added approach to measurement of 16-year olds' performance on public examinations casts doubt on previous findings concerning the alleged superior performance of…

Describes the reading program at Ganado Primary School (selected as exemplary at the 1993 annual International Reading Association convention), part of a schoolwide literate environment that encourages children to become self-actualizing and self-assured learners. (SR)

University of Southern California researchers found that schools using school-based management most effectively organized themselves to restructure curriculum and instruction. Stakeholders had genuine authority over budget, personnel, and curriculum and used this authority to introduce changes affecting teaching and learning. Effective SBM schools…

Fourth-generation program evaluation is a collaborative, responsive approach that attaches great importance to the claims, concerns, and issues set forth by various stakeholders. This model stresses value pluralism and has several community-involvement phases: planning, data collection, results, final evaluation report, and follow-up. (20…

Summarizes a pilot study examining departmental effectiveness in a small sample of British secondary schools. The subject departments were chosen because a previous study showed they significantly enhanced pupils' learning. Effective departments boasted a climate for change; vision; collegiality; sound organization, resource management, and…

Discusses the misperception that public schools are failing and that the system should be opened to competition. Looks at Channel One, educational vouchers, and the current period of corporate dominance in educational reform. (JOW)

Examines relationships among overall leadership in schools, 4 organizational functions (adaptation, goal achievement, integration, and latency), and 4 school-effectiveness measures (perceived organizational effectiveness, student achievement, student absenteeism, and staff turnover rates). Also considers leadership roles of principals, teachers,…

Reports on indicators of effectiveness of schools of library and information studies derived from surveying and profiling four American Library Association (ALA) constituent groups: ALA's Committee on Accreditation, senior academic administrators, alumni and alumnae, and employers. The methodology and results are discussed, and a table of…

The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results of 1,200 students in 9 British secondary schools in 1 district were subjected to multilevel modeling to derive school effectiveness measures. The relative ordering of schools changed markedly depending on the output measure and student factors. Ranking based solely on GCSE results was…

Critiques John Gray and associates' article "A Multi-level Analysis of School Improvement" in the same "School Effectiveness and School Improvement" issue. Instead of distinguishing between stable and unstable components of school-effectiveness indices and between different effects, the authors identify schools' variances…

Draws on a study of seven comprehensive high schools to examine how parents, pupils, and the local community view each schools' strengths. Factors affecting the community view of a particular school are background history, organization, community relationships, public relations policies, management style, and shared values. Reputation can lag many…

Although principals typically emphasize their managerial role, they need to increase their role as instructional leaders. The principal's role as an instructional leader encompasses three dimensions: (1) defining the school mission; (2) overseeing the instructional program; and (3) promoting the school learning climate. (KS)

No U.S. school district is world class. Radical systemic reform must (1) recognize that learning in context works; (2) assert that noncollege careers have worth; (3) raise standards and expectations. Foundation skills needed include basic, thinking, personal, resource, interpersonal, information, technology, and systems. (SK)

Summarizes findings of a study exploring student attitudes to schools of different size. A semantic differentiate scale of attitude toward school was completed by 4,746 (British) pupils from 192 primary or junior schools. Those attending schools of 60 or fewer showed more positive attitudes than those attending larger schools. (45 references) (MLH)