Five types of local school improvement initiatives, grouped into three major approaches¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 2 studies (2 associational), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Drawing on field observations from the case-study synthesis, the report identifies five types of school improvement initiatives constituting three major approaches: improving social relations, unfocused academic initiatives, and a systemic approach. Environmental order issues took precedence in many schools, turning schools into a "safe haven that was secure for children, welcoming of parents, and providing an orderly work environment for professional staff." Peripheral academic changes add programs haphazardly, while Christmas tree schools are showcases whose pursuit of new initiatives distracts from systematic examination of core operations.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Classification rests on field observations from the case-study synthesis project and the ideas about improvement circulating in local and professional discourse

Constraints¶

• The typology applies to elementary schools whose average achievement was substantially below national norms when reform began in 1989

Target Learners¶

• Elementary school students in the Chicago Public Schools

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Organizing school improvement efforts so they enhance core instruction rather than remaining peripheral add-ons

Claims¶

• School change efforts under the reform are classifiable as either systemic or unfocused [+W]
• The indicator system correctly classifies 96 percent of case-study schools' politics and 92 percent of their improvement approach [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Four types of local school politics in Chicago elementary schools under the 1988 reform

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Bryk, A. S., Easton, J. Q., Kerbow, D., Rollow, S. G., & Sebring, P. A. (1993). A View from the Elementary Schools: The State of Reform in Chicago. Consortium on Chicago School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/view-elementary-schools-state-reform-chicago