Presented by Sandy Parks
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Historical Context of Work
The movement was led by Ronald R. Edmonds (1935-1983). Edmonds was an educator and leader in the State of Michigan in the late sixties and early seventies. He saw the educational inequities in his underprivileged schools and wanted to improve them.
The movement focused on the reform of all public schools. The researchers (including Dr. Lawrence Lezotte) felt that schools were not effective in teaching all children, especially those with economic disability. Through their research, the Correlate of Effective Schools was published. Research focused on schools that were already effective and performing above what was expected. It also focused on educational variables that were controlled by the schools. This excluded the background and living conditions of the child.
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Influences
Ron Edmonds was the most important influence in the Effective Schools Movement. He researched with other well-known educators and published “The Correlates of Effective Schools”. This publication put the attention on the schools that were not effective in low socio-economic communities. |
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Purpose of Reform
Schools were not performing equally throughout the United States and Edmonds saw the need to make things equal. He researched effective school and found common aspects in each. Edmonds stated in his publication, Effective Schools for the Urban Poor (1979), the most important aspects of an effective school are:
1. Strong administrative leadership 2. Climate of expectation 3. Orderly school environment 4. Basic skills take priority over other school activities 5. School resources are focused on the fundamental objectives 6. Monitored progress
After his death, the movement lost momentum, until the National Center for Effective Schools Research and Development took over. The Center focused on the Correlates and expounded on them. They became the Edmonds’ Second Generation Seven Correlates and were effective from 1985-1995:
Clear and Focused School Mission There is a clearly articulated mission for the school through which the staff shares an understanding of and a commitment to the instructional goals, priorities, assessment procedures, and accountability
Safe and Orderly Environment There is an orderly, purposeful atmosphere that is free from the threat of physical harm for both students and staff. However, the atmosphere is not oppressive and is conducive to teaching and learning.
High Expectations The school displays a climate of expectation in which the staff believes and demonstrates that students can attain mastery of basic skills and that they (the staff) have the capability to help students achieve such mastery.
Opportunity to Learn and Time on Task Teachers allocate a significant amount of classroom time to instruction in basic skills areas. For a high percentage of that allocated time, students are engaged in planned learning activities directly related to identified objectives.
Instructional Leadership The principal acts as the instructional leader who effectively communicates the mission of the school to the staff, parents, and students, and who understands and applies the characteristics of instructional effectiveness in the management of the instructional program at the school.
Frequent Monitoring of Student Progress Feedback on student academic progress is frequently obtained. Multiple assessment methods such as teacher-made tests, samples of students’ work, mastery skills checklists, criterion-referenced tests, and norm-referenced tests are used. The results of testing are used to improve individual student performance and also to improve the instructional program.
Positive Home-School Relations Parents understand and support the school’s basic mission and are given opportunity to play an important role in helping the school achieve its mission |
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Impact on Best Practices Schools focused on factors that could be controlled within the schools. The movement gave many educators renewed hope that all students could learn. It also brought about unity among educators, researchers, and communities. The communication of the research findings was instrumental in over seven hundred school districts in the United States. |
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Problems or Failures
Edmonds died in 1983 at only the age of 48 of a heart attack. This caused a halt in the leadership and slowed the movement. That was until the movement was revived in 1986 by The National Center for Effective Schools Research and Development (1986-2004). The center made clear the principles that had formerly been introduced by Ron Edmonds.
In March, 2001, M. Donald Thomas and William L. Bainbridge published "The Contamination of Effective Schools Movement" where they report the five fallacies to Edmonds principles. This article can be accessed through the following link. http://schoolmatch.com/articles/SAMAR01.htm
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Other Interesting Facts
Ronald Edmonds was a very accomplished man who earned his bachelor’s degree in American History from the University of Michigan. He earned his master’s degree (also in American History) from Eastern Michigan University. He later received a certificate from Harvard University Graduate School of Education in advanced study.
His Career Accomplishments:
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Impact on Others
In 1966, "The Equal Eduational Opportunity Survey" was publish by J.S. Coleman. The report determined family background to be the major indicator in a student's academic achievement. Edmonds fought this idea. He felt that the schools focused on changing student behavior and made no effort to change school behavior. He is quoted, "taught low-income children to learn in ways that conformed to most schools' preferred way of teaching."
In 1979, Edmonds is quoted in his “Educational Leadership” article:
"It seems to me, therefore, that what is left of this discussion are three declarative statements: (a) We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us; (b) We already know more than we need to do that; and (c) Whether or not we do it must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we haven't so far."
Even though early research determined the school atmosphere as the major indicator to a student's academic achievement, more recent research relies on strong district support.
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References
Edmonds, Ronald. “Effective Schools for the Urban Poor,” Educational Leadership 37 (October 1979), 15-24.
Lezotte, Lawrence. Revolutionary and Evolutionary: The Effective Schools Movement. Retrieved June, 1011, from www.effectiveschools.com/main/resources/resources-44-45.html
Effective Schools Process: http://library.lakeforest.edu/archives/EffectiveSchoolsProcess.html |