In consultation with experts in the fields of education research and whole school improvement, researchers at the Comprehensive School Reform Quality (CSRQ) Center created a framework for evaluating the scientific rigor of research studies that report on the efficacy of whole school improvement models. In this paper, the authors begin with a brief…

This article presents a review of widely implemented, externally developed whole school improvement models. The models serve elementary, middle, and high schools and schools operated by education service providers. A systematic review of the research was conducted using rigorous evidence standards. Across models, the whole school improvement…

The current education policy environment places a heavy emphasis on scientifically based research. This article examines how whole school improvement models approach the development of a research agenda, including what influences and challenges model providers face in implementing their agenda. Responses also detail the advantages and…

The past two decades have seen an increased need for better consumer reporting in education. This has resulted in part from a variety of education initiatives sponsored by the US Department of Education (ED) and others. The initiatives have increased the number of school improvement options available to educators and encouraged--or sometimes…

This case study describes how a high school in a mid-sized interior city of the United States with a rapidly growing population of English Language Learners (ELLs) ramped up its English as a Second Language (ESL) program to better meet the educational needs of its students, as well as to prepare them to meet the accountability requirements of the…

A survey conducted among approximately 1,400 students at 63 primary schools showed that learning gains for initial reading varied significantly for students in the last 6 months of Year 3. Learning gains turned out to be much higher in classes where students had received explicit or direct instruction, where instruction had been organized…

This article discusses the methodology adopted for the formative evaluation of aspects of the London Leadership Strategy (LLS). The LLS is an ambitious example of a program designed and supported by the National College of School Leadership in England (NCSL) to enhance leadership and management so as to improve the quality of education and raise…

This article presents an outcome-based model for evaluating school and community programs serving at-risk adolescents, and a cost-effective technique for comparing the progress of youth receiving an intervention with youth in a pseudocontrol group. The outcomes considered most important for success were derived from the literature pertaining to…

In response to an evaluation conducted by the Netherlands Inspectorate of Education of the nation's elementary schools, the Institute for Educational Development and Advice (Christelijk Pedagogisch Studiecentrum, CPS) undertook a 3-year intervention to revitalize 5 schools experiencing problems with student achievement, curriculum,…

In some Dutch elementary schools, the average performance of students over several years is significantly below the level that could be expected of them. This phenomenon is known as "underperformance." The most important identifiable weaknesses that go along with this phenomenon are that (a) learning material offered at school is insufficient to…

Urban schools, noted for their diverse student populations and variety of instructional resources and personnel, often are challenged in providing a coherent and differentiated instructional program for the wide array of learners served. In this article, we describe coteaching instructional models to support ELL students in elementary general…

This article examines how high school science and mathematics course-taking creates pathways toward future baccalaureate degree attainment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors in Florida 4-year universities using Burkam and Lee's (2003) course-taking categories developed using national student datasets. This study…

In an effort to improve student achievement at an urban high school, teachers and administrators developed a five-part, schoolwide vocabulary plan. Over four years, teachers provided students with increased opportunities to read, read to their students, developed content-specific vocabulary instruction, taught students academic words, and focused…

This study examined the impact of 3 2nd-year charter schools (1 elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high school) on student achievement, school climate, and pedagogy. All schools served predominantly African American students in an inner-city district. Using a matched treatment-control student analytical design, charter school enrollees were individually…

This study was designed to examine the effects of a whole school reform, the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), specifically designed to raise academic achievement of at-risk urban middle school students by establishing an extended school day and year, a rigorous curriculum, after-school access to teachers, and increased family-school connections.…