Seeing Success: The Impact of Implementing Model Practices on Student Outcomes

April 2006
Betheny Gross, Lydia Rainey, Dan Goldhaber

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CRPE Working Paper #2006-2

This paper evaluates the effect of implementing one of three prominent Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) models on student achievement and discipline outcomes, using a matched sample of Florida model and non-model schools.

Longitudinal fixed-effects models to analyze school-level reading and math scores showed inconsistent effects of CSR participation and the use of practices endorsed by models on student achievement and discipline outcomes. Although we find that longer participation with the CSR designs increased math achievement, we do not find that increasing the use of the model practices increases student achievement or has consistent effects on student discipline. Overall, this analysis offers only weak support to the assumption that CSR is a generalizable policy approach for improving low-performing schools.