Tangible, measurable results can be the key to school improvement. Under the right conditions, schools can bring about incremental, even dramatic, results. Author Mike Schmoker examines these conditions and the theory behind them, using examples from schools to show that virtually any school can begin to successfully replicate the conditions. Meaningful teamwork, when combined with setting clear, measurable goals and regularly collecting and analyzing performance data, constitutes the foundation for results.
Schmoker emphasizes the importance of principles and practices that are simple, supported by research, and relatively few in number. Such principles have enormous but underused potential. As the many schools described in this book demonstrate, educators can immediately provide a better education for all students by focusing unwaveringly on better results and the conditions that promote them.