ABSTRACT
There is no disputing the fact that schools are complex settings. My stay at Hillside Junior High provided ample evidence and helped me gain a greater appreciation for this fact. Yet, judgments about schools are often reduced to one of two simple conclusions: either a school “works” or it does not. Typically, these judgments are made by focusing on outcome-based measures such at test scores or on descriptive variables such as where the school is located, who the students are, or the level of parental involvement the school receives.
