Title: The Five Attributes of Successful Schools (Opinion)
Headings: The Five Attributes of Successful Schools
The Five Attributes of Successful Schools
Matthew Lynch
1. Leadership
2. High Expectations
3. Ongoing Evaluation
4. Goals and Direction
5. Secure and Organized

Content: Schools able to hire teachers from high-quality teacher education programs are more likely to be effective. But school effectiveness can also be influenced by the frequency, relevancy, and quality of the teacher professional development offered by the school or school district. Teachers who haven’t had the opportunity to attend prestigious teacher education colleges still have several opportunities to develop after embarking on their professional career. Support for these initiatives at a school or school district level tends to improve overall teacher quality, regardless of their college of origin. Trust and parental participation are also features of a successful school. Trust between all parties of the school community is vital for enhancing the school’s effectiveness because it supports the prospect that parents and teachers believe in each other’s motives and actions. Parental participation is also important because it sends the message to students that the adults in their lives--both teachers and parents--believe in the importance of education and are willing to make time to support students’ educational experiences and efforts. How well does your school embody the five attributes of a successful school? The opinions expressed in Education Futures: Emerging Trends in K-12 are strictly those of the author (s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.