Many Schools, One Complex Measure

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Many Schools, One Complex Measure

Measuring the extent of professional development in a large school system is complex. It's a challenge to gauge training and its effects when schools choose different instructional reform models, and the task is more formidable when the models are chosen at different times and change.

In 1999 and 2000, the St. Louis Public Schools identified schools that didn't do well on the state's highstakes performance test and selected 40 to receive about $55,000 a year in extra funds for instructional innovations. The goal for the schools, identified as Schools of Opportunity (SOP), was clear: meet state standards and earn full accreditation.

The schools' staffs selected ...

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