How Schools Can Improve Student Achievement: A Summary of Research Regarding Strategies and Conditions

Though we constantly hear the refrain, there is no silver bullet, many teachers, coaches, school leaders, researchers, and organizations dedicated to educational improvement are susceptible to seeking out simplistic answers to the question, How can we improve student achievement? When seeking effective strategies for improving student achievement, researchers caution educators to be critical consumers of research, aware of the limitations and dated nature of studies. They urge teachers to rely on their knowledge of students, their subject matter, and their situations to identify the most appropriate instructional strategies (Marzano, et al, 2001). What follows is a brief synthesis of relevant research to spur rich dialogue about what it takes to improve student achievement. We urge readers to delve into original texts cited below, as well as to reflect on their own experiences in their own contexts.