Characteristics Of Effective Schools Research Articles

Characteristics of school effectiveness at the level of colleges of education in Ghana

PurposeSchool effectiveness has attracted some currency in educational research globally since the 1960s though such studies mostly point to the efforts of principal leadership as the basis for promoting effective schools. However, in the case of Ghana, there is a lack of research conducted in the area, and due to that, this study sought to explore internal public perspectives of what constitutes school effectiveness in the Colleges of Education in the Upper East Region of Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed the convergent parallel mixed-method design otherwise called concurrent mixed-method design. The population for the study comprised second and third-year students, tutors and leadership of the colleges. In total, 308 respondents constituted the sample size. The breakdown is 257 students in all, 41 tutors and 10 leaders of the colleges. Two instruments, namely, an in-depth interview guide and a questionnaire were used to elicit responses to address the object of this study.FindingsThe study revealed that the characteristics of effective schools include the high academic performance of students and a good show of disciplined behavior by both students and staff in the colleges among others.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, during the search for studies conducted on school effectiveness, there is no scientific study done in Ghana highlighting the attributes of effective educational institutions. Most of the studies conducted in the area of educational studies only focused on principal leadership, educational access, participation and equity at the level of pre-tertiary institutions.

Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Effective School Features and Effective Leadership Qualifications of School Principals in Turkey

The purpose of this study is to reveal the relationship between effective school characteristics and effective leadership qualities from the perspective of a group of teachers in Antalya, Turkey, who were selected based on the demographic diversity of the population. The questionnaires “Qualifications of Effective Leaders Questionnaire” and “Effective School Characteristics Inventory” were used to collect data for the study. The data were collected from 560 school teachers working in the five central provinces in Antalya. Spearman correlation analysis and Linear regression were used in the study analyses. Consequently, the findings showed that there is a positive and significant correlation between effective leadership qualities and effective school characteristics. The results of the linear regression analysis further demonstrate statistically significant correlations. Specifically, there is a significant correlation between being democratic and tolerant, and limited learning obstacles. Additionally, a significant correlation exists between communication, excitement, and the dimensions of flexible resources, as well as focusing on basic skills. Lastly, there is a significant correlation between communication, excitement, vision, and monitoring students’ progress within effective schools.

KONTRIBUSI KEPEMIMPINAN VISIONER KEPALA SEKOLAH DAN PELAKSANAAN SUPERVISI TERHADAP EFEKTIVITAS SEKOLAH DASAR (SD) DI KECAMATAN DARUL IMARAH KABUPATEN ACEH BESAR

As an institution, schools are intended to produce academic graduates who have talent and character. High management standards, as well as openness, responsibility, and accountability, are characteristics of effective schools. Efficient schools serve as the best learning environments while providing high-quality teaching. In this study, the principal's initiative was carried out to support teachers and staff in improving the learning process and developing a better teaching and learning environment to achieve academic goals. The implementation of the principal's supervision, the principal's inspirational leadership, and school success are the three variables included in this study. The research was conducted through quantitative research techniques. Each variable can be explained individually thanks to this investigation. The relationship between different variables is evaluated using correlation. 36 elementary school teachers from Darul Imarah sub-district, Aceh Besar district participated in this study. The research findings show that visionary leadership has an average impact on school effectiveness of 4.44. The partial correlation coefficients for school effectiveness are 0.545 and 0.397, respectively. When compared with the principal's visionary variable, the supervisory performance of the principal has a stronger partial correlation coefficient. Substantial correlations were found between Principal Visionary Leadership (X2) 0.399, Principal Supervision Implementation (X1) 0.033, and School Effectiveness (Y) 0.00.

Teachers and school administrators’ perceptions of characteristics of an effective school: A study of Anatolian high schools (exam-based entrance high schools) in Turkey

The aim of the research reported on here was to determine the perceptions of school administrators and teachers working at Anatolian high schools on the characteristics of effective schools. The determined perceptions of teachers and administrators were important for creating more efficient educational domains by sharing leadership among stakeholders in education management. We used the Relational Survey Model to study a group composed of teachers and school administrators working at Anatolian high schools in the Ankara province of Turkey. The sample for this research consisted of 300 teachers selected through proper sampling from within the population. Data obtained from participants using the Effective School Scale were tested by t-test and one-way ANOVA. A significant difference was found between the views of school administrators and teachers regarding the effectiveness of Anatolian high schools in the Ankara province. This study found that the school administrators deemed the Anatolian high schools of Ankara to be a lot more effective than the teachers thought they were. As a conclusion, suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of schools are presented.

Teacher-rated school leadership and adolescent gambling: a study of schools in Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract Background So-called “effective schools” are characterised by features such as a strong and purposeful school leadership and a favourable school ethos. A prior study showed that a school's degree of teacher-rated ethos was inversely associated with student gambling and risk gambling. Building on these findings, the current study aims to examine the associations that teachers' ratings of the school leadership share with gambling and risk gambling among students in the second grade of upper secondary school in Stockholm (ages 17-18 years). Methods Data were drawn from two separate surveys performed in 2016: the Stockholm School Survey (SSS) and the Stockholm Teacher Survey (STS), with information collected amongst 5,191 students and 1,061 teachers in 46 upper secondary schools. Gambling and risk gambling was measured by student self-reports in the STS. School leadership was assessed by teachers' responses to ten items in the STS, which were added to an index and aggregated to the school level. School-level information from administrative registers was also linked to the data. The statistical method was two-level binary logistic regression analysis. Results Teachers' average ratings of the school leadership were inversely associated with both gambling (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.93-0.998, p = 0.039) and risk gambling (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.89-0.99, p = 0.031) among upper secondary students, whilst adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics at the student and the school level. Conclusions The findings lend further support to the assumption that characteristics of effective schools at different levels of the school organisation may reduce students' inclination to engage in health risk behaviours. Key messages Teachers’ ratings of the school leadership were inversely associated with student gambling and risk gambling, whilst adjusting for student- and school-level sociodemographic characteristics. The findings indicate that a strong school leadership, being one key feature of effective schools, may reduce students’ inclination to engage in health risk behaviours.

Teacher-Rated School Leadership and Adolescent Gambling: A Study of Upper Secondary Schools in Stockholm, Sweden.

So-called “effective schools” are characterised by properties such as a strong and purposeful school leadership and a favourable school ethos. In a previous study we showed that a school’s degree of teacher-rated ethos was inversely associated with student gambling and risk gambling. Building on these findings, the current study aims to examine the associations that teachers’ ratings of the school leadership share with gambling and risk gambling among students in the second grade of upper secondary school in Stockholm (age 17–18 years). Data were drawn from the Stockholm School Survey and the Stockholm Teacher Survey with information from 5191 students and 1061 teachers in 46 upper secondary schools. School-level information from administrative registers was also linked to the data. The statistical method was two-level binary logistic regression analysis. Teachers’ average ratings of the school leadership were inversely associated with both gambling (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.93–0.998, p = 0.039) and risk gambling (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.89–0.99, p = 0.031) among upper secondary students, whilst adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics at the student and the school level. The findings lend further support to the hypothesis that characteristics of effective schools may reduce students’ inclination to engage in gambling and risk gambling behaviours.

School Culture in High-Performance Title One Schools in South Texas

A research study was designed and conducted to identify effective school characteristics of four high-performing, high-poverty schools in South Texas. An eleven effective school characteristics model, including school processes, was developed based on a synthesis of effective school research and served as the theoretical framework for the study. The characteristics include Culture, Leadership, Instruction, Improvement, Home and Community Relations, Curriculum, Environment, Professional Development, Vision/Mission, Resources, and Staff. The mixed-research study collected and analyzed data from professional school staff, principals, and parents related to the schools' eleven effective characteristics and their processes. Results of the study supported the essentiality of the eleven school characteristics and identified Culture as an area of improvement. School staff perceived Culture’s essentiality for school effectiveness and its application in the schools relatively low. The schools’ cultural processes perceived by school staff and parents were very positive and consistent with past studies of effective schools. Caution is provided that high-performing schools may lose focus on Culture due to academic success.

Effective School Practices in Title I Schools Exceeding Educational Expectations (E3)

A research study was designed and conducted to identify effective school characteristics and strategies of high-performing, high-poverty schools. Four High-Performing Reward schools in South Texas that demonstrated longitudinal academic success were selected to study. We developed an 11 effective school characteristics model including school processes from the effective school research literature as the framework for the study. A mixed-research study was designed to collect data from professional school staff, and principals related to the 11 effective characteristics, their processes, and strategies used by the schools. An area of improvement identified among these already high-performing schools was parental engagement.

School effectiveness and truancy: a multilevel study of upper secondary schools in Stockholm

ABSTRACTTruancy is a problem associated with a range of negative consequences at the individual and societal level, both in the short and the long term. Few earlier studies have investigated the association between school effectiveness and truancy. The aim of this study is to examine the links between three teacher-rated features of school effectiveness – school leadership, teacher cooperation and consensus, and school ethos – and student-reported truancy. Data were collected in 2016 among 4,956 students and 1,045 teachers in 46 upper secondary schools in Stockholm. Results from two-level binary logistic regression analyses show that higher teacher ratings of the school leadership and of the school ethos (but not of teacher cooperation and consensus) are associated with a lower likelihood of truancy at the student-level, even when adjusting for student- and school-level sociodemographic characteristics. The findings indicate that effective school characteristics may contribute to reducing students’ inclination to play truant.

School Effectiveness Policy in the Context of Education Decentralization

This article examines the characteristics of school effectiveness and how the school effectiveness policy works in the context of education decentralization. The research approach is qualitative exploratory and was conducted in 2016 in 10 out of 35 districts/cities in Central Java Province. The results showed that there are eight characteristics of effective schools: effective school leadership, efficient learning processes, active community participation, a conducive school environment, increased professionalism of educators, heightened expectations of students, the commitment of teachers, which together lead to good student achievement. Local government policy has not been mentioned explicitly to build an effective school. The government system should contribute to creating effective schools through human resource development, community participation, provision of facilities and infrastructure, professional development of educators, guiding students’ and teachers' achievement, monitoring student progress, education financing to some degree, and the commitment of local governments to give appreciation to education actors.

A Pathway to Educational Accountability: The Relationship between Effective School Characteristics and Student Achievement

The aim of this study is to determine perceptions of secondary school students towards effectiveness of their school in terms of effective school characteristics such as 'Secure and Regular Environment', 'High Academic Expectations', 'Instructional Leadership', 'Learning Opportunities', 'Monitoring School Learnings' and 'Positive School-Parent Relationship', and to determine the predictive power of such perceptions for student achievement (in terms of year-end academic average grade). In this study, the data on student perceptions of school effectiveness and student achievement were collected by 'The Scale for Effective School (SFES)' which is developed by Gunal [1]. The validity evidences on SFES were obtained by explanatory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis methods. The CFA yielded good fit indices (RMSEA(0.042)) in terms of construct validity of SFES. These results revealed that the measuring construct of the scale is statistically significant and consistent. As an evidence of internal reliability of the SFES, Cronbach's alpha coefficient for total scale was computed as α=0.91. For the main study, participants (n=4472) were comprised of students attending the grades from 5 to 8 in 13 secondary schools in the centre of Trabzon during the 2012-2013 academic year. The schools were selected according to the criteria of transportation convenience. Collected data by SFES were analyzed by multivariate regression analysis method. According to the participants' perceptions, the most effective school dimension was found as 'Instructional Leadership'. The results of the multivariate regression analysis reveal that variables (Instructional Leadership, High Academic Expectations, Monitoring School Learnings, Positive School-Home Relationship, Learning Opportunities offered to all students) of effective schools all together explain 27 % of students' year-end academic achievement scores.

Effective School Performance Stages at Public Senior High Schools in Indonesia

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the stages of effective school performance based on 11 characteristics of effective schools as well as to evaluate the level of correlation between individual characteristics of effective schools and the contribution of the school principal leadership to an effective school. 60 school principals and 105 teachers in 16 schools became sample of the research. The number of teachers took as many as 7 to 10 people for each school. The quantitative data were obtained through a set of instruments on 11 characteristics of effective schools. The data were then analyzed descriptively using frequency, min score, percentage, standard deviation, and inferential statistics (Pearson’s correlation, simple linear regression). Findings showed the stages of effective school performance of Public Senior High Schools in Padang as perceived by the principals and teachers were very high. There was a significant correlation between the professional principal leadership with the realization of 11 characteristics of effective schools. The professional principal leadership contributed as much as 58.5% to the realization of 11 characteristics of effective schools in Public Senior High Schools in Padang while the other percentage was contributed by other variabels not included in this study. The principal leadership was an important factor for the realization of 11 characteristics of effective schools in Public Senior High Schools in Padang.

The Relationships between Organizational Learning Level, School Effectiveness and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

The aim of this research is to determine the relationships between organizational learning levels of high schools; organizational citizenship behavior of managers and teachers and effective school characteristics of them based on the opinions of managers and teachers. The population of the research consists of managers and teachers serving at high schools in Diyarbakir city, Turkey, during 2013-2014 educational year. According to findings of the research, perception of managers and teachers on the learning school and effective school characteristic is at average level and their perception on organizational citizenship behavior is at high level. Learning school characteristic of high schools is a significant predictor of managers’ and teachers’ organizational citizenship behavior and as well as effective school characteristic of high schools. Moreover, organizational citizenship behavior of managers and teachers are predictors of effective school characteristic.

The Effect of Educational Leadership on Organizational Variables: A Meta–Analysis Study in the Sample of Turkey

Leadership, which is prominent in every occasion where the concept of organization is articulated and which is addressed in different dimensions by each organization, is a concept that is very important in the field of education, and it is becoming the subject of many researches. In the literature of educational research, schools and school administrators are the first subjects that come to mind when leadership is mentioned. In this regard, school administrators are expected to show leadership behaviors, such as providing guidance, supporting, assigning a measurable responsibility and being a source of inspiration to all school employees and students in order to achieve the aims of the school. In addition, school leaders should form the ground that provides in-class reform and development, in order to create a positive learning environment in the school (Nichols, 2011). In this context, the studies of educational leadership have emerged in 1970s, in conjunction with research and development activities related to the effective schools movement. In those years, based on the observations of primary schools, some researchers in the UK and North America have identified that some schools' achievements in terms of learning outcomes were bigger than others. They have stated that this situation cannot be solely explained with the individual and social characteristics of the students; therefore the difference between effective and ineffective schools might be associated with the leadership attitudes and behaviors that school administrators have exhibited. Thus, educational leadership became a concept that has been discussed a lot on it. According to these researchers, the characteristics of effective schools' leaders are (Kruger & Scheerens, 2012);* They are directly involved with the school and the education of students.* They carefully evaluate teachers' classroom performance, learning process and student outcomes again and again.* They create a work environment and school climate which will make learning possible for all children.Schlechty (2001) has stated that the main task of the school is working with knowledge. This idea is based on the fact that learning is an active process. Thus, he argued that schools should be institutions working towards an objective with the help of the ideas, concepts, forms, shapes and symbols. Although the schools are solely seen as the places where learning takes place, in reality it is well-known that they are the institutions beyond mere learning, with a much more complex structure. From this perspective, even though schools are a tool for generating and transferring the culture, they are also the places where the official ideology is produced and communicated (Ilich, 1998). The effectiveness of such a complex structure, with its social, cultural, economic and political aspects has become attractive for researchers.One of the most critical factors in the realization of effective schools is the leadership behaviors of school administrators. In the literature this type of leadership is discussed in different forms and dimensions, such as education leadership, instructional leadership, program leadership, and educational leadership. At the beginning, this concept has been discussed in a limited context, as course and program leadership, however later it was considered in a broader sense to include the mentioned dimensions, in terms of the concepts such as educational leadership, education and training leadership. Although it is called by different names, it can be understood that these leaderships basically refers to the school administrators who were trying to establish effective schools and learning.School leader is the person who is planning and implementing program development, making appropriate resource allocation, improving the performance of staff and students by motivating and guiding them, in order to achieve the objectives of the school. School leaders, after setting the objectives of the school, ensure that these objectives are shared and supported by the students, teachers and school community. …

Relationship between Professional Learning Community, Bureaucratic Structure and Organisational Trust in Primary Education Schools

Like most public institutions, schools have to make adjustments because of changes in the social, economic and political climates in which they operate. Making such adjustments is not a new phenomenon for schools. Throughout history, schools have altered their internal operations in various ways in response to external influences (Tylus, 2009, p. 1). As a result of external influences, schools search for ways to respond to the demands of society and policymakers, and they have had to develop a variety of strategies, including a change of school structures. Although many strategies have been suggested for this subject, some researchers suggest professional learning communities as a structural element to maximise school effectiveness (DuFour, 2008; Fullan, 2006; Schlechty, 2005; Schmoker, 2004). Professional learning communities attract the attention of schools that perceive change models as a strategic element (Dockery, 2011) and are seen as a strong area for staff development, school improvement and change (Hord, 1997).Research shows that professional learning communities positively affect student achievement, teacher morale, teacher effectiveness and job satisfaction, school culture and climate (Ackerman, 2011; Becenti, 2009; Bryk & Schneider, 2002; Grippen, 2007; Louis, Dretzke, & Wahlstrom, 2010; Moore, 2010; Supovitz, Sirinides, & May, 2010). Furthermore, professional learning communities decrease teachers' loneliness (isolation) and increases working capacity to ensure a productive school environment and improve the quality of teaching (Hord, 1996). In a professional learning community, teachers experience shared leadership (Huffman & Hipp, 2003), become aware of a distinct purpose (DuFour, Eaker, DuFour, & Karhanek, 2004), strengthen their commitment to the goals of the school and its mission (Lee, Smith, & Croninger, 1995; McLaughlin, 1993) and strengthen their commitment to student learning (McLaughlin, 1993).The attempts of schools to create professional learning communities usually fail. Many such attempts are put in action without considering the formal and informal aspects of the school organisation. When the desired results are not obtained, such attempts are shelved after a while. The effect of school structure on a professional learning community's formation, development and maintenance is often ignored. Moreover, determining an effective organisational structure to create a professional learning community is not considered in depth. The same situation is true for research that attempts to identify effective school characteristics. Although these studies describe how effective schools look, they do not provide information on the procedures that affect school structure, effectiveness and development (McGuigan, 2005). Such procedures need to be known to provide an understanding of how organisations structure themselves (Mintzberg, 2014).Many schools have attempted to create professional learning communities under different names. However, the type of organisational structure or structures that can effectively create professional learning communities has not been considered in depth or the structure has been neglected because of the belief in the immutability of the existing structure. The same situation is true for studies that have attempted to identify the characteristics of effective schools. Such studies do not provide descriptive information about the procedures that lead to development effectiveness and the functioning of the school structures even though they identify how effective schools look (McGugian, 2005). However, we need to know how schools function to understand how they configure themselves (Mintzberg, 2014). Recently, some studies have revealed that types of bureaucracy have an effect on professional learning communities starting from the assumption that school structures are bureaucratic. Structures with enabling bureaucracy are important factors in the creation of professional learning communities and affect instructional practices in the classroom (Gray, 2011; Search-Hudson, 2005; Tylus, 2009). …

Effective Charter and Traditional School Characteristics: Aligning Findings for Informed Policy Making

This literature review compares the current knowledge about the characteristics of effective charter schools to findings from the broader body of effective school research. We find that lists of effectiveness characteristics from the charter and traditional literatures are well aligned: good schools seem to look the same, regardless of governance model. This finding has meaningful implications. Charter authorizers, district portfolio managers, and funders should look for these critical elements in new school applications, grant applications, or school improvement plans, as well as a well thought-out theory of how they will work together coherently. In addition, knowing that effective school characteristics are consistent across sectors, scholars should now direct their attention to examining how to implement, sustain, and replicate these conditions through actions at the school and systems levels.

David Hopkins, Exploding the myths of school reform

David Hopkins, Exploding the myths of school reform. Australian Council for Educational Research: Camberwell, 2013; 232 pp. ISBN: 978-1-742-86098-5 (paperback) David Hopkins is at the stage of his career when he has a vast amount of experience and expertise to call upon and in this book he turns his attention to the vexed issue of school reform. In a clear, logical and compelling fashion Hopkins examines 10 powerful prevailing myths extant in education today. These myths are in effect powerful mindsets developed over time which have reached the status of mental barriers too high to be easily seen over or climbed over. The first of these is the myth that achievement cannot be realised at scale for all students. In this chapter, Hopkins provides sufficient examples of outstanding educational achievement occurring through a combination of strategy and moral purpose in a variety of disadvantaged and difficult settings that one can only conclude that, despite the difficulty (and sometimes the impossibility) of every child achieving at a high standard, we must not abandon this aim. We have known for more than 30 years what the characteristics of effective schools are; our big challenge is to develop more of them. Standardised testing has revealed that the further we go down the socioeconomic scale the greater the variation we see in school achievement. Clearly, some schools have met the challenge while others have not even engaged with it. If some schools can be so successful the key question then is why others can't or won't raise their expectations. The real issue then is not so much what effective schools do, but how they have managed the school improvement process. This chapter highlights some of the imperatives if such improvement is to occur. The second myth exploded by Hopkins concerns that of school autonomy. It has become something of a mantra that increased school autonomy is required for and necessarily leads to greater student and school performance. Recent key papers issued by governments and education systems accept this as fact. The combination of autonomy and greater competition, no doubt borrowed from the corporate sector, is thus strongly advocated. Hopkins, however, provides convincing evidence that there is in fact no correlation between school decentralisation and achievement. In any case, no schools, not even those in the independent 'sector', are truly autonomous and independent. All schools are linked in various ways and through various systems. As we move to greater centralisation of matters such as testing, curriculum and teacher standards, all schools are drawn more tightly into various circles of influence and accountability. …

Entrepreneurship Management Practices in Creating Effective Schools

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship and contribution of successful entrepreneurial management practice in developing an effective school. The characteristics of successful entrepreneurs include the desire for excellence, determination, self-control, and innovative. Meanwhile, the characteristics of effective schools include commitment, academic achievement, community support, and the quality of graduates surveyed from the perspective of administrators as administrators plays an important role in the management to form an effective school. This study used a survey method using questionnaires. The study sample involving 180 school administrators is randomly selected from 72 schools. The results showed a significant relationship between management which is based on the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur with the establishment of an effective school. Meanwhile, entrepreneurial management features give a significant contribution in the development of an effective school. The implications of this study indicate that successful entrepreneurial management practice should be integrated in the management style and management culture in schools.

Characteristics of effective schools in facing and reducing bullying

This article examines whether variation in school effectiveness in terms of reducing bullying can be attributed to differences in their classroom and school learning environment. All 6th grade students ( n = 1504) of 35 primary schools in Cyprus participated in this study. The revised Olweus bully/victim questionnaire was used to measure bullying at the beginning and at the end of the school year. A questionnaire measuring the classroom learning environment was also administered to the student sample. A teacher questionnaire was used in order to measure school policy and actions taken to improve the school learning environment. Multilevel modelling techniques were used to analyse our data. Almost all factors concerned with the school and the classroom learning environment and school evaluation were found to be associated with reduction of bullying. Implications of findings for research on bullying are drawn.

Using TIMSS and PIRLS to improve teaching and learning

The article will describe the opportunities that TIMSS data provide for evidence-based decision making. TIMSS collects extensive data about the mathematics and science curricula in the participating countries, as well as the characteristics of effective schools and classroom environments for learning. Participating countries use the results in various ways to explore educational issues, and several examples will be described.