"This should be required reading by every school administator, every teacher, every board member and all university faculty involved in the training of teachers. There is no doubt that we need to squeeze all blame, all coerion and all criticism out of any people-related business. Not until we realize that schools are in a people business will we ever be able to make meaningful changes." --Dr. Albert Mamary, former superintendent of schools, Johnson City, New York

Test scores are the go-to metric of policy makers and anxious parents looking to place their children in the best schools. Yet standardized tests are a poor way to measure school performance. Using the diverse urban school district of Somerville MA as a case study, Jack Schneider’s team developed a new framework to assess educational effectiveness.

The theory of crisis counselling put forward in this book is applied to the following situations: drug and alcohol abuse; depression and suicide; physical and sexual abuse; social and discipline problems; lateness; encopresis and enuresis; fear, teariness, inactivity, fury and impulsiveness; violence and conflicts; children of divorced and foster families; loss and grief; war and disasters; parents in crisis; homelessness, crack kids and AIDS children; and defiance, inter-racial tensions and cross-cultural conflicts.

School education across the world has gained special significance at it makes its students acquire adequate knowledge in various disciplines and decide the future course of action in education. Several individual and national and international professional organisations are suggesting various measures to enhance the status of school education in all its dimensions. This book on quality in school education discusses many things to the taken care of, to be worked, out and to be implemented. This work will be of great use to all the people concerned to and personnel involved in school education.

Using a single case study school as a role model, this book provides a framework for practice in primary schools. The school in question succeeds in meeting the Government's objectives within its own set of aims and values.

This book explores an approach to school improvement that merges the traditions of educational effectiveness research and school improvement efforts. It displays how the dynamic model, which is theoretical and empirically validated, can be used in both traditions. Each chapter integrates evidence from international and national studies, showing how the knowledge-base of educational effectiveness research can be used for improvement purposes. In a clear and practicable manner it outlines: Foundations of the improvement approach Research projects investigating the impact of the dynamic approach Guidelines and practical solutions to translating the approach into action Further developments for school improvement Exploring the crucial factors in the establishment of this environment, the authors outline a dynamic framework that helps schools collect data, through self-evaluation mechanisms, taking decisions about priorities for improvement, and developing appropriate policies and action plans. This approach emphasises educational targets and provides means to achieve them that are flexible enough to fit in with the circumstances of the individual school. The book draws upon research across the world, conducted especially in the United States, Europe, and Australasia, expertly showcasing how the dynamic approach can be used in a wide variety of educational settings A key book for all professionals working in education; academics, researchers, policy-makers, school advisors and practitioners will find it invaluable. Not only it is a must for graduate students, university libraries, and individual academics but also for school management teams, school support agencies and officials in educational policy.