“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.