Historical Evolution Of School Effectiveness Research

As an education research, School Effectiveness Research has more than 40 years history, which began in Mid 1960s in the United States. At present the study has become a famous research field and aroused wide attention. Reviewing the history, School Effectiveness Research study has been through a bumpy road from the beginning. With the changes of social background and education reform, It adjusted ceaselessly own research focus, and constant developed and improved itself in practice, theory and methods, etc. This article mainly aims the development of American school effectiveness research at different periods. On the base of introducing social background and reforms of education, it concretely researches and analyzes the practice, theory and methods of SER. The author hopes to find the evolutional trajectory of SER in USA, to provide beneficial inspirations for our country and promote it develop scientifically, healthily, standard.The whole article includes two main parts:introduction and text. The introduction analyzes the necessity, significance and methodology of this study. The text is divided into four chapters. The first, second and third chapters discuss the different three periods of American SER. Three different stages are based on research focus and orientation. Just as a slight clarification, each period is mutually overlap, does not exist strict time limit. The first chapter is related to American SER in the period of Effective School Research. Examining the historical background of the 1950s and 1960s, this part discusses the reasons for the rise of American SER, tries to introduce the general development in the period of Effective School Research on practice, theory and methods, and summarizes its contributions and defects in this time. The second chapter is related to American SER in the period of School Effective and Improvement. Introducing the social background and reforms of education from the early 1980s to the middle 1990's, this part discriminates the differentiation between school efficiency and school improvement and integration of both aspects, tries to introduce the general development in the period of School Effective and Improvement on practice, theory and methods, and Analyses its criticism and enlightenment in this time. The third chapter is related to American SER in the internationalization and integration period. Examining the social background and reforms of education since the mid 1990's, this part analyses the predicament and outlet which American SER faces and the benefits towards internationalization and integration, tries to introduce the general development in the internationalization and integration period on practice, theory and methods, and prospects the hot research areas in the future. The fourth chapter is related to review and enlightenment about American SER. This part tries to depict the evolutional trajectory of SER in USA from three dimensions:focus orientation and methods, and summarizes its implications for our country.