Building a better measure of school quality. (April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Schneider, Jack; Jacobsen, Rebecca; White, Rachel; Gehlbach, Hunter
• Is Part Of: Phi Delta Kappan. Volume 98:Number 7(2017:Apr.)
• Page Start: 43
• Page End: 48
• Publication Date: 2017-04
• Subjects: Education -- United States -- Periodicals; Greek letter societies -- Periodicals; Onderwijs; Éducation -- Périodiques; Associations désignées par des lettres grecques -- Périodiques; Éducation; Enseignement; Pédagogie; Politique éducative; Recherche en éducation; Réforme du système éducatif; Services aux élèves; Système éducatif; États-Unis; Étude comparée (Descripteur de forme); Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); 371.0097305
• DOI: 10.1177/0031721717702631
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0031-7217

Abstract

When it comes to measuring the quality of a school, policy leaders tend to embrace standardized tests as the go-to indicator, whereas parents and community members tend to rely on reputation, word-of-mouth, and what they perceive with their own eyes. The authors suggest a better approach: a new framework that looks at three categories of inputs (the teaching environment, school culture, and resources) as well as two categories of outputs (academic learning and cultivation of student character and well-being). Parents and community members who used the new interactive tool came away with significantly more positive perceptions of unfamiliar schools .