An overview of national and international research on school effectiveness is provided in this paper. Following an introduction, the first section examines some national studies, with a focus on the differences in empirical evidence for effective school factors. These studies are similar in that they are outcome-oriented, seek factors of school…

The Quality Assurance Directorate of the New South Wales (Australia) Department of School Education is developing a series of Best Practices descriptor statements to help define discussions on school development. A wide range of performance indicators are being discussed among educators worldwide. Reporting of performance indicators needs to be…

Like many cities, Indianapolis (Indiana) is facing growing dissatisfaction over its public schools. The Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) system has seen over the past decade decreasing student achievement and increasing problems over student readiness to learn, basic skills, and violence. IPS has responded with a new direction, increased parent…

While school-based management (SBM) is increasingly becoming a part of state and district reform efforts, there is little evidence that it improves school performance. However, this may be an unrealistic expectation for a governance-oriented reform. SBM also can improve organizational performance not only when people at lower levels are brought…

Shared decision-making (SDM) is becoming a part of many American schools. Shared decision making is based on a premise that relies on four main assumptions: (1) those closest to the children will make the best decisions concerning the children's education; (2) teachers, parents, and school staff should have influence in policies; (3) those who…

Written to help educators maximize student learning, this publication outlines a process for designing and implementing an improvement and restructuring plan based on knowledge acquisition, needs assessment, indepth planning, and development of commitment to change. Research has identified 14 conditions for successful schools: high attendance,…

This document reports findings of a study that evaluated the implementation model developed for Project SHAL, an "effective schools" reform model. Implemented in 1980 in Area I of the St. Louis Public School District (Missouri), Project SHAL is an acronym for the four original participating schools--Stowe, Hempstead, Arlington, and…

Following a preliminary discussion of school effectiveness, school-based management (SBM) elements, changing roles for school community members, and common implementation problems, this newsletter summarizes a research project testing one school district's readiness for implementing SBM. The project attempted to determine the knowledge,…

Findings from a study to examine the relationship between school climate factors and student achievement in the Austin Independent School District are presented in this executive summary. Factor and regression analyses were used to analyze data from a survey of all public school professionals in the district. Findings suggested that differences in…

Focus groups are planned each year to gather regional needs assessment information on school restructuring as part of the Research for Better Schools (RBS) planning process. In spring 1991, RBS staff gathered rich, contextual data from five focus group discussions held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Newark, New Jersey; the District of Columbia;…

School-based management and improvement, supported by parent and community involvement, offer the most promising route to lasting reform in the public schools. Following an extensive introduction (part I) outlining school-based management and improvement concepts, the effective schools connection, the Dade County (Florida) experience, and 10…

Findings from a study to explore organizational alternatives available to states for overseeing educational reform are presented in this paper. The structures and uses of eight exemplary state accountability mechanisms were analyzed. Seven of these mechanisms have already been implemented in South Carolina, Connecticut, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia,…

A summary of research on effective school characteristics as they relate to dropout prevention and recovery is presented in order to inform practitioners of the literature in this area. The summary takes the form of discussions of the following research findings: (1) there are important similarities between effective schools and successful dropout…

Certain factors have been identified as crucial for the success of principals of large high schools (Woolley 1977; Prine 1983). Findings from a study to determine if these previously identified factors have withstood the impact of the education reform movement of the 1980s are presented in this paper. Specifically, the study sought to determine…

This paper outlines three school award programs: the Ford program, the Secretary of Education's Program, and the For Character Program (Chicago). In providing descriptions of each program, the similarities and differences are analyzed. The programs share three basic assumptions: (1) that some schools are better managed than others and that…