schoolimprovementplansandacademicperformancea.docVIP

Evaluating School Improvement Plans and their Affect on Academic Performance Abstract The development of a school improvement plan (SIP) has become an integral part of many school reform efforts. However, there are almost no studies that empirically examine the effectiveness of SIPs. The few studies examining the planning activities of organizations have generally focused on the private sector and have not provided clear or consistent evidence that such planning is effective. Some studies have even suggested formal planning can lead to inflexible and myopic practices or may simply waste time and resources. This study explores the relationship between the quality of school improvement plans and school performance by examining a unique dataset from the Clark County School District, the fifth largest school district in the nation. The study finds that, even when controlling for a variety of factors, there is a strong and consistent association between the quality of school planning and overall student performance in math and reading. Improving the Quality of Education through Planning Education policy operates within a diverse political context and often involves a tension between multiple actors, goals and strategies (Shipps, Kahne, Smylie, 1999). At any given time a school or school system may have a battery of reforms or pedagogical activities from which to choose from to improve the quality of education. Formal planning at the school level may assist schools in making decisions in this complex context. Some have even argued that the development of a school improvement plan is an “integral part of every successful ongoing individual school improvement effort (Doud, 1995).” The merits of good planning by schools may seem obvious to some. Intuitively many believe that high quality planning should help organizations of all kinds achieve their goals. Planning compels leaders and planning teams to set priorities, establish goals, develop strategies