Purpose: The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive framework for capturing the complex concept the authors call school improvement. Design/methodology/approach: The author begins by anchoring that framework on an historical understanding of school improvement. The framework itself is then presented. Five dimensions are described: the essential equation, building material (content), guiding principles, supports, and integrative dynamic. Findings: The construct of school improvement has varied over time. The paper articulates the seedbed from which current efforts at school improvement grow--and why those efforts look the way they do. It then reviews what the author has uncovered about how to build productive schools in the post-industrial world by exposing and populating the key dimensions of the school improvement framework. Originality/value: The paper draws on the author's research legacy to develop a framework for analyzing school improvement efforts. (Contains 1 figure.)