The Effects of Success in Sight as a School Improvement Intervention
Regional need and study purpose
There is a regional and national need to assist schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. A school improvement program with demonstrated effectiveness can respond to this need by helping to raise student achievement in low-performing schools.
The study's primary focus is to provide an unbiased estimate of the impact of Success in Sight, a comprehensive approach to school improvement, on increasing student academic achievement. It also intends to determine whether the approach builds school-level capacity to engage in four reform practices: data-based decisionmaking, purposeful community, shared leadership, and effective school practices. In prior research, these practices have been linked to improved student achievement (Marzano 2003; Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock 2001; Marzano, Waters, and McNulty 2005).
Addressing the study's intended outcomes in student achievement and school capacity to engage in the four reform practices, the research asks:
- Does implementation of Success in Sight significantly improve student achievement?
- Does it have a significant impact on the extent to which schools engage in data-based decisionmaking?
- Does it have a significant impact on the extent to which schools engage in effective school practices associated with improved student achievement?
- Does it have a significant impact on the extent to which schools develop and maintain a purposeful community?
- Does it have a significant impact on the extent to which leadership is shared in schools?
This study is expected to provide rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of Success in Sight in raising student achievement and an unbiased estimate of its impact. This evidence will be useful for schools seeking systemic change using programs proven to improve student performance.