SOURCE:

Sadker, D.M. & Zittleman, K.R. (2016). Teachers, Schools, and Societies: A Brief Introduction
Fourth Edition,
New York: McGraw-Hill Education, p255-260

Chapter 9 Purposes of America’s Schools and the Current Reform Movement 255

identifi

What Makes a School Effective?

FOCUS QUESTION 3
What are the characteris-
tics of effective schools?

12. George Weber, Inner-City

Children Can Be Taught to
Read: Four Successful
fi Schools (Washington, DC:
D.C. Council for Basic Books,
through these fi 1971); Ronald Edmonds,
sic fi “Some Schools Work and
More Can,” Social Policy 9
Factor 1: Strong Leadership (1979), pp. 28–32; Barbara
Taylor and Daniel Levine,
“Effective Schools Projects
13. Sara and School-Based
Lawrence Management,” Phi Delta
Lightfoot, The Kappan 72, no. 5 (January
Good High 1991), pp. 394–397. See also
School (New Herman Meyers, “Roots,
York: Basic Trees, and the Forest: An
Books, 1983). Effective Schools
Development Sequence,”
paper delivered at the
American Educational
Research Association, San
him as he sat in his unfi fi Francisco, April 1992.
fi

e signifi
 TEACHING TIP
Connecting Teachers and Families
Research shows that when a school mission is clear and com-
municated effectively, students do better academically and
socially. With some thoughtful actions, teachers can be a
critical link to families, insuring effective communication of
school goals and expectations. Here are a few ways teachers
can connect with families:
1. Create a listserv to send messages to families. You can fill
them in on assignments and projects, current and future
activities, test dates, and other reminders. If you are more
tech savvy, develop a class Web page with similar infor-
mation. If your families are not online, send home a brief
newsletter, an informational outline of the week’s objec-
tives and activities.
2. Encourage participation. Send a questionnaire home to
families asking if they can contribute to the class. Is some-
one artistic? Can someone help in class or on a field trip?
Perhaps there is a special interest or expertise, and a family
member can be a guest speaker.
3. Homework help. In the earlier grades especially, you can
help monitor homework by asking parents to sign the
homework assignment sheet each day.
4. Share good news. A message from the teacher need not
be a negative sign. Make positive phone calls about stu-
dent progress and insights.
16. William Rutherford, “School
Principals as Effective Lead- ers,” Phi
Delta Kappan 67, no. 1 (September
1985), pp. 31–34; Carl Glickman, “The Factor 2: A Clear School Mission
Courage to Lead,” Educational
Leadership 59, no. 8 (2002), pp. 41–44.
See also R. McClure, “Stages and
Phases of School-Based Renewal
Efforts,” paper presented at the annual
meet- ing of the American Educational
Research Association, New Orleans,
1988.
Factor 3: A Safe and Orderly Climate
defi
256
17. Steven C. Schlozman, “The Shrink in the Classroom: Fighting School Violence,” Educational Leadership 60, no. 2
(October 2002), pp. 89–90; Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, 2007 Climate Survey (New York: GLSEN,
2008), www.glsen.org; National Center for Education Statistics, Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2008 (issued
April 21, 2009), http://nces.ed.gov /pubs2008/2008021.pdf (retrieved April 30, 2009).
5. Assessment understanding. Share test results with fami-
lies, explaining both the purpose and the results of the
assessment, as well as how they can help their child in
future assessments. Be specific. Provide parents with the
materials and insights to assist their child.
6. Visit homes and get to know families. A good source of in-
formation for this is the parent–teacher home visit project
at www.pthvp.org/.
It is essential that the principal share his or her vision so
that teachers understand the school’s goals and all work
together for achievement. Unfortunately, surveys indicate
that more than 75 percent of teachers say that they have
either no contact or infrequent contact with one another
during the school day. In less effective schools, teachers lack
a common understanding of the school’s mission, and they
function as individuals charting their own separate courses.
Extending that mission communication not only to teachers
but to parents as well is important. When school and par-
ents are connected with the school’s mission, the children are
more likely to achieve academic success.
15. David Clark, Linda Lotto, and Mary McCarthy, “Factors
Associated with Success in Urban Elementary Schools,” Phi Delta
Kappan 61, no. 7 (March 1980), pp. 467–470; The MetLife Survey
of the American Teacher: Expectations and Experiences, Figure 3.7,
p. 50 (issued Septem- ber 26, 2006), www.metlife.com/ (retrieved
April 23, 2009). See also David Gordon, “The Symbolic Dimension
of Administration for Effective Schools,” paper delivered at the
annual meeting of the American Educational Re- search
Association, San Francisco, April 1992.
w fi
horrifi
 Chapter 9 Purposes of America’s Schools and the Current Reform Movement 257

with respect. Student problems are identifi

20.Lightfoot,
The Good High
School; Kevin
Dwyer and D. Good schools have safe
Osher, environments.
Safeguarding
Our Children:
An Action Guide
(Washington,
DC: U.S.
Department of
Education,
August Factor 4: Monitoring Student Progress GLOBAL VIEW
2000). But even “safer” schools
are relative. Compared
with children in twenty-
Also posted were profi five other industrialized
countries, U.S. children
are at greater risk. Every
day in America, eight U.S.
children or teens are killed
by firearms, 186 children
are arrested for violent
fi offenses, and 368 children
are arrested for drug
offenses. Schools are safer,
but not yet safe. [Chil-
dren’s Defense Fund, July
2011, www.childrens
defense.org/factsfigures_
fi america.htm].
 258 Part 3 Schools and Classrooms

21. Wilbur Brookover, Laurence

Beamer, Helen Efthim,
Douglas Hathaway, Lawrence Lezotte,
Stephen Miller, Joseph Passalacqua,
and Louis Tornatzky, Cre- ating Effective
Schools (Holmes Beach, FL: Learning
Publications, 1982); Harris Cooper,
Jorgianne Robinson, and Erika Patall,
“Does Homework Improve Academic
Achievement? A Synthesis of Although these fi
Research,” Review of Educational
Research 76 (2006), pp. 1–62.

Factor 5: High Expectations

The students identifi

w signifi

In their highly infl

23.Robert Rosenthal and Lenore
Jacobson, Pygmalion in the Classroom
(New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, self-fulfi
1968).

24.Patrick Proctor, “Teacher

Expectations: A Model for School
Improvement,” Elementary School
Journal, March 1984, pp. 469–481;
Karin Spader, “The Effects of Teacher
Expectations on Student Achievement,”
paper presented at the annual meeting
of the American Sociological As-
sociation, Montreal, Canada, August 11,
2006; Robert Marzano, What Works in
Schools (Alexandria, VA: As- sociation
for Supervision and Curriculum
Development, 2003).
Chapter 9 Purposes of America’s Schools and the Current Reform Movement 259

It is not only students who benefi RAP 2.3

Effective Schools
performance, the entire school benefi
26.Douglas Ready, Valerie Lee, and
Kevin Welner, “Educational Equity
and School Structure: School Size,
Overcrowding, and Schools-within-
Schools,” Teachers College Record
Beyond the Five Factors 106 (2004), pp. 1989–2014;
James P. Comer, “The Rewards of
e-schools fi yond these original fi Parent Participation,” Educational
Leadership 62, no. 6 (March 21,
2005), pp. 38–42;

High-quality programs during the fi

e signifi

el by the end of the fi

master basic concepts fi

e schools identify and correct such defi

Some studies fi

e responded to these fi

student learning, especially in the earlier grades. Children in classes of fi

form students in classes of twenty-fi

fi