The Three Generations of Effective Schools Research
Author: Johnson, William L.
Date: 2018-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Effective Schools Research,School Effectiveness,Public Schools,Educational Quality,Educational Change,Academic Achievement,Achievement Gap,Educational History,Instructional Leadership,Student Educational Objectives,Time on Task,Progress Monitoring,Family School Relationship,Educational Planning,Strategic Planning,Faculty Development,Program Development,Accountability,Educational Assessment,Effect Size,Educational Legislation,Federal Aid,Federal Legislation,Federal Programs

This document is from a featured presentation at the 2018 annual conference of the Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT). The public schools are a fundamental element of our democratic society, and they have been the pathway to opportunity and a better life for generations of Americans. But at present, the American public school system is beset with legions of low-performing schools. Since A Nation at Risk was published in 1983, most of the reform efforts have had no sustained track record of success. A notable exception has been the effective schools movement. Ronald Edmonds' (1979) Correlates of student success launched the first generation of the effective schools movement in the United States. Lawrence (Larry) Lezotte's (1991) second generation correlates expanded Edmonds' research to include higher order thinking and problem solving skills. John Hattie's &quot;Visible Learning for Teachers&quot; (2012), next provided a way to quantify the effects of the first- and second-generation correlates using Z-form effect sizes and meta-analysis. The presenters have referred to his research as the third generation correlates of effective schools. Hattie's work represented 15 years' research of more than 50,000 studies and 240 million students. He identified the six major contributors to student learning (2012, p.14), the percent increase in learning, and effect size (ES) of each: student (+15%, ES +0.39); home (+12%, ES +0.31); school (+9%, ES +0.23); teacher (+18%, ES +0.47; curricula (+17%, ES +0.45); and teaching (+17%, ES +0.43). The presenters used principal components analysis (PCA) with the scree test and parallel analysis to expand and broaden Hattie's 2012 published research. Their findings are reported in this document. The application of all three generations of effective schools research has significantly impacted student instruction, school curriculum, academic achievement, and test-based accountability. There is certainly no criticism that many school districts have continued to use the first- and second-generation research to manage their schools. However, the power of the third generation research has been to quantify what has worked best in the schools and in the classrooms to increase student learning. Over the past few years, the presenters have successfully applied Hattie's research and documented the increases in student achievement. The key has been to link specific classroom teaching strategies to the third generation research. The session included handouts and specific teaching recommendations for school faculty and administrators.