The Reincarnation of the Effective Schools Research: Rethinking the Literature on District Effectiveness

• In Event: Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Analyzing the School District as Agent of Reform

Abstract

Many studies of district reform frame questions of district effectiveness from technical perspectives that explore the relationship between different managerial regulations and improved test performance. One consequence of this focus is that much of the district effectiveness research has come to resemble earlier studies of school effectiveness. This paper explores these parallels by presenting the results of a structured review of 53 studies of district effectiveness, including an analysis of the conceptual and methodological strengths and limitations of district and school effectiveness research. It compares and contrasts the two fields, paying particular attention to the ways in which the two literatures frame conceptions of success, equity, the purposes of schooling, and the roles for district and school leaders.

Author

• Tina M. Trujillo, University of California - Berkeley