A dynamic approach to school improvement: main features and impact

Abstract

This paper refers to the dynamic approach to school improvement (DASI) which attempts to contribute to the merging of educational effectiveness research and school improvement. The main underlying assumptions and the implementation phases of DASI are discussed. Moreover, a study aiming to compare the impact of DASI in helping schools to reduce bullying is presented. The results reveal that DASI has a stronger impact on improving school factors and reducing bullying than other approaches to school improvement. Suggestions for further research investigating the sustainability of DASI on school effectiveness are provided and policy implications are drawn.

Keywords:

• school improvement
• educational effectiveness research
• school self-evaluation
• school policy
• school learning environment

Acknowledgements

The research presented in this paper is part of a 2-year project entitled ‘Designing evidence-based strategies and actions to face bullying by considering socio-ethnic diversities in school populations and evaluating their effects’ funded by the European Commission's Daphne III Programme (Daphne Project: JLS/DAP/2007-1/226).