Best Practice Brief Focuses on Effective Schools in Poverty Areas

At a time when adequate yearly progress (AYP) helps determine public school funding, educational performance, particularly in areas with students who come from low-income families, has become a major concern for Michigan’s school administrators, teachers, and parents. This concern is not unfounded. The Education Policy Center at Michigan State University (MSU) reported in 2003 that the vast majority of Michigan’s elementary schools failing to meet AYP goals were located in low-income, urban areas.

Of course, there are many examples of schools in low-income areas that are increasing student achievement. The question is, what are the lessons we can learn from these schools and how can they be replicated in high priority schools? The MSU Office of Outreach and Engagement attempts to answer this question in its twenty-ninth Best Practice Brief, Characteristics of Effective Elementary Schools in Poverty Areas, published in February 2004.

MSU researchers reviewed 12 previously published studies that examined the characteristics shared by high performing elementary schools in poverty areas. While not all of the studies looked at the same aspects of school effectiveness, the researchers found considerable agreement in their conclusions.

The Findings

The brief classifies the shared characteristics into three main areas:

• School building leadership.
• School relationships with administrators, parents, and the larger community.
• Effective teachers (especially regarding approaches to teaching literacy).

The evidence shows that high performing elementary schools in poverty areas had strong, effective, instructional leadership from an experienced principal; a clear school mission; ongoing, yearlong staff development; and open communication and collaboration among the teaching staff. Effective schools had greater parent involvement than did under performing schools; established positive home-school relationships; and maintained good working relationships with central administration and community agencies. The teaching staff in these schools had a clear awareness of purpose; were task oriented, enthusiastic, and had high expectations of students; established a positive classroom climate; placed a strong emphasis on reading; conducted systematic curriculum-based assessment to monitor student progress; and used effective, research-based instructional strategies.

To learn more about the characteristics of effective elementary schools in poverty areas, read the entire Best Practice Brief at http://outreach.msu.edu/bpbriefs/issues/
brief29.pdf.

For more information, contact: Betty Tableman, Editor, Outreach Partnerships at Michigan State University, (517) 432-7138, tableman@msu.edu, or visit the University Outreach and Engagement Web site at http://ntweb4.ais.msu.edu/default.asp.

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