2/25/2016 WhatFactorsMakeaSchoolEffective?

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December 15, 2015 Matthew Lynch Policy & Reform

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By Matthew Lynch
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Although diverse school models exist, a fundamental question Your email address

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2/25/2016 WhatFactorsMakeaSchoolEffective?|TheEdvocate

remainshow are we to know whether or not a school model is First Name

effective, and how can effectiveness be judged? A number of Your First Name
research studies focus on characteristics of effective schools.
However, there is debate over which attributes should be Last Name
considered when describing successful schools.
Your Last Name

According to some researchers, student performance should be the

primary indicator of a successful school. It makes sense, really, Subscribe

since the sole purpose of schools is educating their students. Other

researchers propose that students social characteristics, such as
personal growth should be included when determining effective
Recent Popular
schools. Another issue with school effectiveness research is that
Comments
findings are predominantly based on research conducted in
elementary schools or unique school settings in the inner city.
Diverse
Consequently, it is suggested that these findings cannot be
Conversations:
generalized to all schools. Learning to
Lead
In truth, there is no one factor that can accurately determine the 6 hours ago

effectiveness of K-12 schools. Instead, it is a multi-faceted

Wearing a suit
conversation and one that evolves with each generation of equals success?
students. As suggested above, the context of schooling will impact It just might to
these kids
factors that contribute to effectiveness in specific schools. At the
12 hours ago
same time, there are attributes and factors that contribute to
effectiveness across schooling contexts. By understanding an array myON Adds
of effectiveness attributes we are able to observe which attributes Classic Novels
and Short
exist at a particular school and which, if adopted might facilitate
Stories to
effectiveness, given a particular school context. itsPersonalized
Literacy
Common elements of success Environment
16 hours ago

A 2008 study describes five common characteristics that make up

an effective school; these characteristics, and the theory behind
them has also been described as the five-factor theory.

The first factor is quality leadership. In other words, students

perform better where the principal provides strong
leadership. Effective leaders are visible, able to successfully
convey the schools goals and visions, collaborate with
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2/25/2016 WhatFactorsMakeaSchoolEffective?|TheEdvocate

convey the schools goals and visions, collaborate with

teachers to enhance their skills, and are involved in the
discovery of and solutions to problems.
The second factor is having high expectations of students, as
well as teachers. High expectations of students have
repeatedly been shown to have a positive impact on students
performance. More attention should be paid to high
expectations of teachers. In other words, teachers who are
expected to teach at high levels of effectiveness are able to
reach the level of expectations, particularly when teacher
evaluations and teacher professional development is geared
toward improving instructional quality.
The third characteristic of a successful school is the ongoing
screening of student performance and development. Schools
should use assessment data to compare their students with
others from across the country. Effective use of assessment
data allows schools to identify problematic areas of learning
at the classroom and school levels, so that solutions can be
generated as to how to best address the problems.
The fourth characteristic of a successful school is the
existence of goals and direction. Administration should
actively construct goals and then effectively communicate
them to appropriate individuals (i.e., students, teachers,
community-at-large). School principals must also be open
and willing to incorporate innovation into goals for school
processes and practices. It is important to invite input from
all stakeholders in the process of developing school goals.
Student performance has been shown to improve in schools
where all in the school community work toward goals that are
communicated and shared among all in the learning
environment.
The fifth and final factor of a successful school is the extent to
which the school is secure and organized. For maximum
learning to occur, students need to feel secure. Respect is a
quality that is promoted and is a fundamental aspect of a
safe school. There are also a number of trained staff and
programs, such as social workers, who work with problem
students before situations get out of hand.

Other elements of student success

Apart from the five factors of a successful school already

mentioned, the size of the school seems to be a school
effectiveness factor. Research has found that the smaller the
school, the better students perform, especially in the case of older
students. This is the rationale behind the concept of schools-
within-schools. Students in smaller learning environments feel
more connected to their peers and teachers, pass classes more
often, and have a higher probability of going to college.

A number of school districts view preschool education as a factor

that will influence overall effectiveness across all schools located

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2/25/2016 WhatFactorsMakeaSchoolEffective?|TheEdvocate

within the district. Evidence suggests that children with preschool

experiences fare better academically and socially as they enter
kindergarten and beyond. Experiences in literacy and numeracy
among early learners not only prepares preschoolers for a
kindergarten curriculum that has heightened expectations of prior
knowledge, but also helps identify early learners who will need
additional support to ensure they are able to have positive learning
experiences later on.

Additional factors that influence effective schools include time to

learn, teacher quality, and school and parental trust. Research
supports the commonsensical view that the more time a student
spends learning, and the more efficiently that time is used, the
higher their achievement. Schools that find creative ways to
extend time on learning will likely be more effective. Schools with
high quality teachers also tend to be more effective. Schools able to
hire teachers from high quality teacher education programs
increase the possibility of being an effective school.

School effectiveness can also be influenced by the frequency,

relevancy, and quality of the teacher professional development
offered by the school and/or school district. Trust and parental
participation are also features of a successful school. Trust
between all parties of the school community is vital for enhancing
the schools effectiveness because it supports the prospect that
parents and teachers believe in the motives and actions of each
other. Parental participation is also important because it sends the
message to students that the adults in their livesboth teachers
and parentsbelieve in the importance of education and are willing
to make time to support students educational experiences and
efforts.

So there is no simple solution for labeling the effectiveness of a

particular school but it should certainly go beyond assessments
alone. BUY NOW

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2/25/2016 WhatFactorsMakeaSchoolEffective?|TheEdvocate

What are some keys to school effectiveness in your opinion?

153 98 7 4

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2/25/2016 WhatFactorsMakeaSchoolEffective?|TheEdvocate

PRE VI O U S PO S T NE XT PO S T

Student surveys:
Measuring what
Report: School
funding lower
tests cannot than before Great
Recession

Matthew Lynch
Dr. Lynch is an award winning writer, activist and
the Dean of the School of Education, Psychology, &
Social Work and an Associate Professor of
Education at Virginia Union University. He spent
seven years as a K-12 teacher an experience that
gave him an intimate view of the challenges facing
genuine education reform.

With that experience behind him, he has focused

the second stage of his career on researching
topics related to education reform, the
achievement gap, and teacher education. What Dr.
Lynch has found is that improving teacher
education is an essential component in closing the
achievement gap.

Dr. Lynch's articles and op eds appear regularly in

the Huffington Post, Diverse: Issues in Higher
Education, and Education Week. He's also written
numerous peer-reviewed articles, which have
appeared in academic journals such as AASA
Journal of Scholarship & Practice, International
Journal of Progressive Education, Academic
Leadership Journal, and others. In addition, he has
authored and edited a number of books on school
reform and school leadership.

Please visit his website at www.drmattlynch.com for

more information.

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2/25/2016 WhatFactorsMakeaSchoolEffective?|TheEdvocate

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There Are 2 Comments for This Post

What Factors Make a School Effective? | Culture... June 24, 2015 9:52 am
[] Although diverse school models exist, a fundamental question
remainshow are we to know whether or not a school model is
effective, and how can effectiveness be judged? A number of research
studies focus on characteristics of effective schools. However, there is
debate over which attributes should be considered when describing
successful schools. []

Reply

What Factors Make a School Effective? | Learnin... June 25, 2015 10:00
am
[] Although diverse school models exist, a fundamental question
remainshow are we to know whether or not a school model is
effective, and how can effectiveness be judged? A number of research
studies []

Reply

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