ABSTRACT
As a theory of educational change, school effectiveness has generated a controversial body of knowledge, originating in industrialized countries such as Britain and the USA, and now exported throughout the developing world. It has become a vast industry, generating costly research and influencing educational policies in different national locations. In Britain, it has been part of the restructuring and modernizing interventions in the public services. It poses as a counterpoint to fuzzy thinking and imprecision in education and promises success criteria, with blueprints and taxonomies for the effective school. It offers advice on identifying bugs in the system and strategies for purification.
