ABSTRACT
The core of the empirically supported knowledge base on educational effectiveness is a set of factors that have been shown to be positively associated with pupils’ achievement in basic school subjects. Before addressing the question about the firmness of the empirical support for these factors and the strength and direction of their association with achievement, a closer look will be taken at the conceptual meaning of the most commonly mentioned factors. Referring to the conceptual map of school effectiveness developed in Chapter 10, it should be noted that the total set of factors comprises both conditions at school and conditions at classroom level and that some factors have a structural, whereas others have a more cultural nature. The central concepts in educational effectiveness are therefore only partially objective and descriptive (those related to structure). An important part has to do with attitudes, perceptions and normative positions (those related to culture).
