Responding to doubts about the validity of test results that showed the Pittsburgh School District's school improvement project to be highly successful, the district validated its results by administering a different test to a representative sample of students in secure conditions. (MCG)

Increased pressure is facing many administrators today for teachers to assign more homework to students. Recent research is reviewed that correlates homework positively with student achievement, and the need for a homework policy in school districts is emphasized. (TE)

This literature review cautions that the issue of whether promotion or retention is more beneficial to student achievement is especially murky when it becomes a political decision. It concludes that grade retention seems to ignore the question of instructional effectiveness, blames the child for failure, and absolves the school of responsibility.…

A three-hour block of uninterrupted time each morning for the teaching of core subjects has allowed this elementary school to reduce class size, increase the time teachers spend with individual students, increase time on task, increase parent and teacher expectations of students, and improve student/teacher relationships. (DCS)

Three school recognition and award programs are described and contrasted: the Ford Program, the Secretary of Education's Program, and the For Character Program in Chicago. The general implications of the award approach as an incentive system for innovation are considered. (BW)

Educators can improve children's thinking skills through the following five steps: (1) identifying and defining the desirable thinking skills, (2) identifying the components of these skills, (3) providing systematic skills instruction, (4) integrating the teaching of thinking skills with various content areas, and (5) improving skills testing.…

The characteristics of one high school's effectiveness are summarized and the ingredients of its success outlined. Described as extremely important to the school are its commitment to educating students in democratic values and its attempt to practice the democratic ethos in governance, student activities, instruction, regulations, parent…

This article reports the findings of a research project on public and private high schools in the United States. The principal researchers found that Catholic schools and non-Catholic private schools are more effective than public schools in helping students to acquire cognitive skills. (SSH)

This study assessed the effects of a change in principals (management succession) on school level basic skills achievement using longitudinal data on 149 San Francisco Bay Area Schools. The findings indicate that changes can affect school achievement, but that leadership effects develop slowly and are conditioned by a schools' socioeconomic…

Notes that school effectiveness research has identified particular process and content characteristics associated with gains in reading achievement. Examines the research and the application of research findings. (FL)

This contribution is another partial outcome of a three-year-project aimed at the recognition of the culture of Czech schools and its development strategies. The data we herewith interpret have been obtained through a questionnaire survey focusing on key areas of school operation (consent in main principles of school operation; creation and…

This report focuses on the noteworthy achievement and the successful practices of 12 rural schools in the southern region that are members of the "High Schools That Work" (HSTW) school improvement network. Although these schools enroll high percentages of minority and/or impoverished students, they have managed to outperform rural…

This is one of the most important books on school leadership because it incorporates so much research evidence from the work of the two authors themselves, and such a perceptive and intelligent understanding of the research of others. It provides an opportunity for two of the senior researchers in the field over the last 20 years to reflect on…

This document is the annual effectiveness improvements report for Austin Community College in 2003. The report summarizes which improvements have been implemented and whether they have been successful or not. The seven areas of improvement that are looked at are: (1) workforce education; (2) transfer programs; (3) continuing education; (4) adult…

This booklet provides guidance for implementing a standards policy in North Carolina. In 1997, the Committee on Standards and Accountability was created by the North Carolina General Assembly to advise the State Board of Education on a policy for student performance standards. The committee was charged with considering standards for promotion for…