Last updated October
1, 2006
The Best Evidence Encyclopedia
Which comprehensive
school reform programs have been proven to help
elementary and secondary students achieve? To
find out, this review summarizes evidence on comprehensive
school reform (CSR) models in elementary and secondary
schools. Comprehensive school reform models are
programs used schoolwide to improve student achievement.
They typically include the following elements:
-
Innovative
approaches to instruction and curriculum used
in many subjects throughout the school
-
Extensive,
ongoing professional development, and coaches
or facilitators in the building to help manage
the reform process
-
Measurable
goals and benchmarks for student achievement
-
Emphasis
on parent and community involvement
CSR models
are developed and supported by national organizations,
mostly nonprofits, that provide professional development,
materials, and support to networks of schools.
Summary of Evidence Supporting Beginning
Reading Programs
* Within categories, programs are listed in alphabetical
order
Borman et
al. included 29 CSR models that had been replicated
in at least 10 schools and had been evaluated
in at least one study. They did an extensive search
for all types of studies. Studies were included
if they met the following criteria:
-
Schools
using each program had to be compared to equivalent
control groups
-
Achievement
data had to be sufficient to allow effect sizes
to be computed
-
Schools
had to be in the U.S.
-
Students
had to be in the regular education program
CSR programs were rated in terms
of the strength of their evidence of effectiveness
in four categories:
-
Quality
of evidence: Does the CSR model have research
evidence from control-group studies and third-party
control group studies?
-
Quantity
of evidence: Does the CSR model have a relatively
large number of studies? (10 studies overall
and 5 third-party studies were required to be
in the top category)
-
Statistically
significant and positive results: Does the evidence
from control-group studies show effects that
are significantly positive?
For a more
recent review of research on elementary CSR models,
see CSRQ, 2005 (http://www.csrq.org/es_form.asp).
In late 2006, CSRQ will also issue a review of
research on middle and high school CSR models.
Finally, see CSRQ, 2006 for a review of research
on educational service providers, such as Edison
Schools (http://www.csrq.org/esp_form.asp).
|
