Report
59-COMPREHENSIVE
SCHOOL REFORM AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT A Meta-Analysis
Author(s): Geoffrey D. Borman, Gina M. Hewes, Laura T.
Overman, Shelly Brown
Abstract: In
this meta-analysis, we review the research on the achievement effects of the
nationally disseminated and externally developed school improvement programs
known as “whole-school” or “comprehensive” reforms. In addition to reviewing
the overall achievement effects of comprehensive school reform (CSR), we
study the specific effects of 29 of the most widely implemented models. We
also assess how various CSR components, contextual factors, and
methodological factors associated with the studies mediate the effects of
CSR. We conclude that CSR is still an evolving field and that there are
limitations on the overall quantity and quality of the research base. The
overall effects of CSR, though, appear promising and the combined quantity,
quality, and statistical significance of evidence from three of the models,
in particular, set them apart from the rest. Whether evaluations are carried
out by the developer or by third-party evaluators and whether these
evaluators use one-group pre-post designs or control groups are especially
important factors for understanding differences in CSR effects. Schools
implementing CSR models for five years or more showed particularly strong
effects, but the models benefited equally schools of higher- and
lower-poverty levels. A long-term commitment to research-proven educational
reform is needed to establish a strong marketplace of scientifically based
models capable of bringing comprehensive reform to the nation’s schools.
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