Concepts from organizational theory are used to interpret and review major findings of school effectiveness research to develop a broader perspective for understanding school effectiveness. Results of school-effectiveness research in the Netherlands are compared with those from research in the United States and England. A more-or-less established model of school effectiveness consists of five factors: (1) strong educational leadership; (2) high expectations of student achievement; (3) academic goal consensus; (4) emphasis on basic skills; and (5) safe and orderly climate. The contingency perspective is used as a first step in enlarging the scope of school effectiveness research. The five-factor model is then compared with conceptualizations of organizational effectiveness. A meta-framework is presented. The definition and application of some concepts from organizational theory will aid in testing organizational hypotheses. Substantive hypotheses are summarized in table form. (SLD)