Inside Three Schools - A Midterm Look at the Effective Schools Initiative of the New Jersey Department of Education

Sep 15, 2026

Analysis of second-year outcomes across three New Jersey schools participating in the Effective Demonstration Schools Project, a grant initiative supporting school-based improvement. Funded through the Effective Schools Program Act of 1985, the three-year grants aimed to raise students’ basic skills performance using principles from effective schools research. Evidence from site visits and interviews with teachers, administrators, and parents shows differing implementation approaches anchored in inclusion, information gathering, shared vision, and incentive structures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

Purpose and approach

Activities in three schools

Symbols of school improvement

The Effective Demonstration Schools Grant Program

Project goals

ED 374546 AUTHOR TITLE INSTITUTION SPONS AGENCY PUB DATE NOTE PUB TYPE EDRS PRICE DESCRIPTORS IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT DOCUMENT RESUME Meister,Gail;Austin,Susan # Inside Three Schools:A Midterm Look at the EffectiveSchools Initiative of the New Jersey Department ofEducation. Research for Better Schools,Inc.,Philadelphia,Pa. Office of Educational Research and Improvement(ED),Washington,DC. Oct 88 17p.;Publication developed for the New JerseyDepartment of Education.Reports -Research/Technical(143) …、;.∵..….:、:… MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. *Educational Change;*Educational 1mprovement;*Effective Schools Research;Elementary SecondaryEducation;Incentives;Participative Decision Making;*School Effectiveness;*State Programs*New Jersey This paper describes second-year outcomes in threeNew Jersey schools that participated in the Effective DemonstrationSchools Project,a grants program that enc ouraged school-basedimprovement.The purpose of the three-year grants,awarded during the1985-86 school year,was to improve students'basic skillsperformance through the application of principles associated witheffective schools research.Data were obtained from site visits andinterviews with teachers,administrators,and parents.The threeschools included the Red Bank Primary School,Elizabeth School\#2,and At1antic City High School.Findings indicate that the schoolsdiffered in their project implementation approaches,but eachutilized the principles of inclusion,information and imagination,and incentives.The schools included people in decision making,gathered information abɔut the situation,imagined what could be,andutilized the incentives of success and money to sustain a vision oftheir schools as effective schools.(LMI) ★*c*☆*☆*★☆****★*******************☆*********★★******☆★****☆*☆**☆★☆+*★Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made**from the original document.★ *******☆*****☆**★******☆☆*****k***☆*******★*★*****k☆☆☆*****★**☆☆☆*☆**☆* E 1义二 19dLi ED 374 546 INSIDE THREE SCHOOLS:A MIDTERM LOOK AT THEEFFECTIVE SCHOOLS INITIATIVE OF THENEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Developed for New Jersey Department of EducationGeneral Academic Education U.8.DEPA MENToE EDICATiouOMLc4d EducatocatRoyarch aod lmor0xmeolEDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER(ERIC) by □Thu docurment has be0n reproduced a5recived from the person or organuzatronorIointio0 Gail Meister Susan Austin O Minor changet have been made to imprOve reproductio⁰guahty Pontsofaw ooun*ons刺atdintsdo ument do not necesrdy rnoreteot ocOERI poston or pohicy Research for Better Schools,Inc.444 N.Third StreetPhiladelphia,PA 19123 October 1988 The work upon which this publicaticn is based was funded by the Office ofEducational Research and Improvement(OERI),U.S.Department of Education.The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect theposition or policy of OERI and no official endorsement by OERI should beinferred. PREFACE This paper has been prepared by Research for Better Schools,Inc.(RBS)at the request of the New Jersey Department of Education(NJDE).The paperdescribes activities in three schools associated with the EffectiveDemonstration Schools Project,a grants pregram encouraging school-basedimprovement.NJDE selected the sites to represent participating schools'diverse and thoughtful approaches to the challenge of the grant. RBS staff spent one day at each of the three sc11ools talking withteachers,administrators,and parents about their expeziences.They wereasked to reflect on the scope of their program,the team process,the use ofdata to inform decisionmaking,program impact,future plans,and what theyhave learned through their experiences. This paper is the product of these interviews.It is designed todescribe,rather than to evaluate,two years of school improvement in theEffective Demonstration Schools Project.The hope is that these descriptions will be of value to other sc

FAQs

What is the focus of the report?

The report describes second-year activities and outcomes in three New Jersey schools participating in the Effective Demonstration Schools Project, emphasizing efforts to improve school effectiveness.

How were the schools’ improvement efforts supported?

They were supported by three-year grants authorized under the Effective Schools Program Act of 1985, intended to improve students’ basic skills performance using effective schools research principles.

How did the report gather its evidence?

Data were obtained from site visits and interviews with teachers, administrators, and parents, covering program scope, team processes, data use, impact, and future plans.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn Holloway