Evaluating Whole School Improvement Models: Creating Meaningful and Reasonable Standards of Review

Abstract

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 introduction to the challenges of developing standards of acceptable research practices and establishing a method of review that enables cross-program comparisons. The authors discuss CSRQ Center standards in reference to six primary areas of review: design, assessment, implementation, sampling, timing, and data analysis. Each standard is presented and the empirical rationale for evaluation criteria is explored. The authors conclude by presenting guidelines for researchers who report on the outcomes of evaluations of whole school improvement models. This discussion highlights the importance of ongoing conversation about the nature of evidence and components of research practice that illuminate program effectiveness within a larger framework of contemporary education policy and whole school improvement legislation.