Louise Stoll

Peter Mortimore

The last decade has seen a burgeoning of interest in the twin fields of school effectiveness and school improvement by politicians, policy makers and practitioners. For some, the drive has been to raise standards and increase accountability through inspection and assessment measures, believing that the incentive of accountability and market competition will lead to improvement. Alternatively, reform and restructuring have led many people in schools to create their own agenda and ask, ‘How do we know that what we are doing makes a positive difference to our pupils?’ and, ‘What can we do to provide pupils with the best possible education?’ This paper explores the two paradigms that underpin notions of school effectiveness and school improvement. We start with their definitions and aims. Key factors of effectiveness and improvement are examined and fundamental issues discussed. We conclude with a description of attempts to link the two areas of work.

School Effectiveness and School Improvement

The challenge of school improvement for failing schools is a complex and much debated issue. This text attempts to help those working in, or working with, failing schools and aims to contradict the notion that there are no quick fixes for schools in difficulty. The issue of failing schools is looked at from a number of viewpoints. Section one contains policy perspectives; section two contains three schools' perspectives; section three contains chapters written by three external facilitators; section four addresses the issues from three prominant school effectiveness researchers; and section five gives international perspectives from the co-ordinator of the OECD Combating School Failure initiative.

Perspectives on Schools in Difficulty

No Quick Fixes

Lorna Earl

Dean Fink

The purpose of this book is to re-orient the current agenda in education towards learning. The recent emphasis has been on achieving standards through managing schools, teachers and the teaching process. But the real purpose of schools was, is, and always will be about learning. In an increasingly complex, diverse and unpredictable world, it is necessary for schools and those working with them to refocus on learning at all levels - pupils, teachers, leaders, the organisation as a whole and all of the school's partners. It's About Learning is a clear and well written discussion woven with practical examples and strategies. It also includes an annotated bibliography suggesting useful follow-up reading, and the issues are posed as questions for reflection and discussion.

What's in it for Schools?

It's About Learning (and It's About Time)

Lorna Maxine Earl

The purpose of this book is to re-orient the current agenda in education towards learning. It is an accessible discussion woven with practical examples and strategies and suggests useful follow-up reading.

It's about Learning (and It's about Time)

David Reynolds

David Hopkins

Robert Bollen

Bert P.M. Creemers

Nijs Lagerweij

The disciplines of school effectiveness research and school improvement practice and research have been apart for too long. This book is the first major attempt, by leading writers and practitioners in these fields, to bring the areas together in a coherent way. Existing knowledge about the characteristics of `good' schools is outlined, together with the knowledge base about how to `make schools good schools'. The book also makes an entirely original contribution to re-thinking practice in school improvement that can revolutionise our thinking in the late 1990s, and which can be of use to academics, to policymakers and to the practitioners which much existing work has neglected.

Linking School Effectiveness and Improvement

Making Good Schools

Janet R. Moyles

Focusing on children between 4 and 8 years old, the author examines the principle of play in early childhood education, and indicates how these principles can be put into place.

Louise Stoll

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