OVERVIEW OF SCHOOL SYSTEM EFFECTIVENESS

Research on effective schools and school practices has clearly demonstrated that schools and school systems can become more effective. The literature describing the research defines effectiveness as:

Having high achievement among all student groups,
Having high student and staff attendance,
Having high employee and student satisfaction, and
Having high public confidence in schools.

Effective schools/school districts also "add value" to the performance levels of students: The level of student performance increases uniformly the longer students are in school.

When the following practices and objectives are implemented in a school system, the probability increases that the school system will be effective in all areas. These "Correlates of Effectiveness" include:

Strong instructional leadership provided by the principal.
A comprehensive curriculum - emphasis on learning objectives, learning activities, and appropriate achievement measures.
Measurement – regular monitoring of student achievement and staff/student attendance.
A safe, orderly, disciplined, and supportive school climate.
High expectations for quality work supported by staff and students.

Effective schools and school systems practice behaviors associated with the conditions (correlates) of effectiveness. More importantly, however, these behaviors are understood, are supported, are practiced, and are observable throughout a school system. Such behaviors can be established through effective school training programs and then adapted to each school system environment. It should be clearly understood that conditions for effectiveness are achieved through the decisions made by adults in the school community and are fully under their direction and control. To this end, effective schools and school systems forge extensive and positive linkages between communities and schools

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