Improving Schools in Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Areas: A Review of Research Evidence

It is a feature of the field of school improvement and effectiveness that there remains a dearth of substantial literature reviews on schools in difficulty. In this chapter by Daniel Muijs and his colleagues there is an attempt to put that record straight. In reading the chapter it becomes clear that much of the existing rationale for intervention in difficult schools comes primarily from the know-how derived from the effective schools' literature. In the chapter a series of themes are reviewed which characterize contemporary attention - teaching and learning, leadership, data richness, a positive ethos, ambition towards being a learning community, a culture of ongoing professional learning, the involvement of parents, the use of external resources all feature as factors which necessitate attention in challenging schools.