Includes bibliographical references and index.

School effectiveness and improvement : the story so far -- The policy context -- The research design and methods -- Attainment, progress, and added value -- Views of pupils, parents, and teachers : vital indicators of effectiveness and for improvement -- Extending the quality framework : lessons from case study schools -- Change leadership : planning, conceptualization, and perception -- Do schools need critical friends? -- A profile of change -- The change equation : capacity for improvement -- Beyond 2000 : where next for effectiveness and improvement?

This work sets out to answer questions such as, what have we learned after three decades of research into school effectiveness? What can we say with confidence about how schools improve? It reviews findings from seminal international work.