This paper traces the development of research concerning effective schools and provides a critical, synthesizing overview of various research strands. Strands of research included are self-concept, teacher expectations, democratic-authoritarian leadership, various uses of the term "school climate," input-output production models (with…

School effectiveness indices (SEIs), based on regressing test performance onto earlier test performance and a socioeconomic status measure, were obtained for eight subject-grade combinations from 485 South Carolina elementary schools. The analysis involved school means based on longitudinally matched student data. Reading and mathematics…

This paper, prepared as a chapter for the "Handbook of Research on Teaching" (third edition), reviews correlational and experimental research linking teacher behavior to student achievement. It focuses on research done in K-12 classrooms during 1973-83, highlighting several large-scale, programmatic efforts. Attention is drawn to design, sampling,…

This report attempts to answer criticisms that have been leveled against existing research on effective schooling. The research reported has three important features: (1) it is based on a major national survey--High School and Beyond (HSB)--with longitudinal information on each respondent; (2) measures are not restricted to verbal and quantitative…

Student achievement data from 92 school districts in South Carolina were analyzed to determine which variables were most likely to affect educational quality. Fourth and seventh grade samples were examined to determine the effects on achievement when the shared variation between achievement and the context variables was removed. The data included…

This report presents a detailed rationale and a plan for a study of the effectiveness of materials and procedures for meeting the educational needs of individual children in compensatory education programs. An introductory section addresses an overview of the policy questions to which the results of the individualized instruction study will be…

This paper examines Kate Walsh's Abell Foundation report, which purports to prove there is no credible research supporting the use of teacher certification as a regulatory barrier to teaching and argues against reforms that would strengthen incentives to bring qualified teaches to inner city schools. This paper discusses inaccuracies in Walsh's…

This guide to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) describes its purpose, contents, uses, and research methodology by presenting 21 questions about the NAEP program. The NAEP is mandated by Congress to survey the educational accomplishments of U.S. students and to monitor changes in these accomplishments. It tracks the…

This report deals with a variety of ways that have been, or could be, used to interpret the scales used in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Policymakers, researchers, and other users of assessment results need to understand the methods used for reporting NAEP. Having a reference is particularly important as the methods of…

This study illustrates how a factor analysis of a well-designed student-rating instrument can increase its utility. Factor analysis of a student-rating instrument was used to reveal constructs that would explain student attrition in science, mathematics, and engineering majors. The Instructional Development and Effectiveness Assessment (IDEA)…

These proceedings contain 40 presentation papers, four alternate papers, and seven symposia from the Twenty-Second Adult Education Research Conference. The 44 papers report on research, research problems, and research possibilities, including comparison of student performance in two curricular approaches, trust in small groups, overcoming…

This is a revised and expanded version of a previous report on urban indicators which introduces new indicators for 4 of the 14 quality of life categories covered in the previous report. It updates indicators for 9 of the 14 categories and employs the indicators to develop charts and tables which use the Washington, D.C. area as a illustrative…

A number of studies are reviewed in an attempt to identify those schooling inputs that affect schooling outcomes, specifically cognitive achievement of students, in developing countries. Part 1 of the paper outlines the nature of the major tool of analysis, the educational production function (EPF), and the problems associated with its use as a…

The 1998 High School Transcript Study provides the U.S. Department of Education and other educational policymakers with information regarding current course offerings and students' course-taking patterns in U.S. secondary schools. Similar studies were conducted in 1982, 1987, 1990, and 1994. This guide documents the procedures used to collect and…

Constructs underlying student ratings of instruction in an introductory master's level educational research course were investigated in order to gain a better understanding of instructor behaviors that facilitate student success. During academic years 1990-91 and 1991-92, an institutionally developed scale was administered to students enrolled in…