The architecture of school improvement

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive framework for capturing the complex concept the authors call school improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

The author begins by anchoring that framework on an historical understanding of school improvement. The framework itself is then presented. Five dimensions are described: the essential equation, building material (content), guiding principles, supports, and integrative dynamic.

Findings

The construct of school improvement has varied over time. The paper articulates the seedbed from which current efforts at school improvement grow – and why those efforts look the way they do. It then reviews what the author has uncovered about how to build productive schools in the post‐industrial world by exposing and populating the key dimensions of the school improvement framework.

Originality/value

The paper draws on the author's research legacy to develop a framework for analyzing school improvement efforts.

Citation

Murphy, J. (2013), "The architecture of school improvement", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 51 No. 3, pp. 252-263. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578231311311465