Organizational characteristics of successful and failing schools: a theoretical framework for explaining variation in student achievement

Abstract

Why do some schools bring forth high achievement levels, whereas others do not? To understand the mechanisms behind school success, one must examine schools as organizations and the social relations and interactions among their members. By integrating the literature on educational effectiveness and sociological institutionalism, this article presents a study of four successful and four failing schools in Sweden regarding the impact of schools' internal organization on student achievement. The results demonstrate that the two types of schools have distinct organizational characteristics, which show significant stability over time. Linking organizational characteristics and student outcomes, we argue that (a) the varying social reality of teachers and principals among the two types of schools fosters different types of actions and beliefs among teachers and principals, which (b) causes different learning environments for students that subsequently lead to variations in their learning trajectories.

Advancing a cross-cultural understanding of teacher perceptions of school climate: A latent class analysis using 2018 TALIS data

“…Teachers, who have a closer bond with students than principals and administrators, are especially likely to nurture ideas and opinions regarding school climate. Listening to teachers’ voices is vital to realizing the long-term goal of enhancing school performance and student success ( Jarl et al, 2021 ).…”

Linking school leaders’ core practices to organizational school climate and student achievements in Norwegian high-performing and low-performing rural schools

“…On the other hand, the evidence that has accumulated from more than two decades of research indicates that, to a large extent, higher-performing schools, across a range of different socio-economic, demographical and political contexts, function as stronger collective learning systems (Louis and Murphy, 2017; Schechter, 2008; Schechter and Mowafaq, 2013; Silins et al, 2002). As learning organizations, these schools develop learning processes, strategies and structures, which strengthen their capacity to utilize their collective learning capacity in the interests of their students (Jarl et al, 2021; Leithwood et al, 2000; Marks and Louis, 1999; Schechter and Asher, 2012). Moreover, high-performing schools are also characterized by goal oriented leadership, that is organized collectively and includes district level leadership (Jarl et al, 2021), an organizational climate where teachers typically are committed to their work, are enthusiastic about teaching and have a sense of being capable of developing professionally as educators (Berkovich and Bogler, 2021).…”

“…As learning organizations, these schools develop learning processes, strategies and structures, which strengthen their capacity to utilize their collective learning capacity in the interests of their students (Jarl et al, 2021; Leithwood et al, 2000; Marks and Louis, 1999; Schechter and Asher, 2012). Moreover, high-performing schools are also characterized by goal oriented leadership, that is organized collectively and includes district level leadership (Jarl et al, 2021), an organizational climate where teachers typically are committed to their work, are enthusiastic about teaching and have a sense of being capable of developing professionally as educators (Berkovich and Bogler, 2021).…”

What Kind of School Organizational Decisions Serve to Enhance Sustainable Personal and Social Growth?

“…Moreover, school principals are critical actors in encouraging teachers to be involved in professional evaluation processes and in fostering their professional development [3], which indirectly influences students' development. Jarl et al [4] show that school performance is the result of human behavior and relationships. It can be affected and changed by the actions of individual teachers and principals as well as by policy-makers.…”