Education Report Roundup

Improvement Factors for Schools Identified

By Jessica L. Tonn — November 01, 2005 1 min read
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“Similar Students, Different Results: Why Do Some Schools Do Better?” is posted by EdSource.

Parent involvement, student behavior, teacher collaboration, and professional development aren’t the most important factors contributing to student achievement, suggests a survey of schools serving low-income students in California.

Rather, the study of 257 elementary schools—conducted by EdSource, a Mountain View, Calif.-based educational research organization—found that setting high expectations for students, implementing standards-based curricula, using data from state assessments to improve instruction, and having up-to-date instructional materials and experienced teachers correlated most strongly with higher academic performance by students on the state’s standardized tests.

A version of this article appeared in the November 02, 2005 edition of Education Week

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