Philosophical perspectives on school effectiveness and school improvement

ABSTRACT

Research on school effectiveness and on school improvement has become more important in recent years as politicians and other policy-makers have made use of the findings. It is argued here that there are a number of flaws in the design of such research (for example, if factors and outcomes are logically related, then empirical investigation becomes irrelevant). Furthermore, the sidelining of long-term goals of education by researchers in these fields has the effect of marginalizing what is central to any discussion of educational practice (even if these goals cannot be measured). The article concludes with a plea both for more reflection on these aims and closer collaboration with philosophers of education.

KEYWORDS:

• school effectiveness research
• school improvement research
• aims of education
• philosophy of education