Title: What Makes a School Successful? The Five Factor Theory of Effective Schools | InformED
Headings: What Makes a School Successful? The Five Factor Theory of Effective Schools
What Makes a School Successful? The Five Factor Theory of Effective Schools
About Marianne Stenger

Content: Research carried out by David Miller Sadker and Karen R. Zittleman for McGraw-Hill Higher Education identified a common set of characteristics that effective schools seemed to share. This now often referred to as the “ five factor theory .” The five characteristics they identified were quality leadership, high expectations of students and teachers, ongoing screening of student performance and development, goals and direction, and safety and security for students. According to Sadker and Zittleman, these factors promote student achievement and improve the quality of education provided by a school. Another study carried out by Harvard researchers came up with a somewhat different set of factors that determined a school’s effectiveness. Namely frequent teacher feedback, data driven instruction, high-dosage tutoring, increased instructional time and focus on academic achievement. So why the differing results? Experts caution that studies such as these have their limitations, primarily because there is still some disagreement over what defines an effective school. Some researchers say high academic achievement indicates a school’s success, while others define successful schools as those that foster personal growth, creativity and a positive self-concept. With this in mind, it may be better to view such factors as helpful guidelines rather than surefire prescriptions for the development of successful schools.