General description of research questions, objectives and theoretical framework

This is the second stage of a project aimed at designing methods and instruments to identify schools with poor academic results that need support, diagnose their problems and deficits, and create programs to improve them and enable them to operate more effectively.

The previous stage was a statistical analysis of academic results, staff, funding and curriculum of 2,000 schools in three regions of Russia that have been identified as underperforming, as well as an in-depth analysis of 20 schools. The results helped diagnose general problems in the administration, academic organization and teaching at these schools, as well as issues with the schools' culture.

This research included additional statistical analysis of 500 schools, students and their parents, and the main characteristics of the social context of schools that have been showing a steady decline in academic results.

In each region, we chose one or two schools with similar social characteristics, strong academic results and solid reputations among local experts.

A deeper diagnosis was carried out at a group of successful schools, which helped clarify the general policy and strategic decisions that lead to effective work under adverse conditions.

A model of an “effective school” was used to analyze schools' educational policy and strategies. This was based on a selection of the most common elements from models designed by P. Mortimor, R. Marzano, Highreliability school, successful practices to improve work at schools in the US as described by C. Corallo, D. McDonald, and programs from the Institute of Education at the University of London.

Based on the effective strategies implemented at a group of successful schools, a model program was developed to improve schools with persistently low academic results that operate in difficult social contexts. The complex programs were realized at schools, as well as at the administrative level for the region, locally and at the schools.

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