Student Achievement Outcomes Comprehensive School Reform: A Canadian Case Study

The authors conducted a third-party study of the student achievement effects of Struggling Schools, a user-generated approach to Comprehensive School Reform (CSR). The design was a quasiexperimental, pre-post matched sample (N = 180) with school as unit of analysis, drawing on 3 years of achievement data from standardized external assessments. Struggling Schools had a statistically significant positive effect on Grade 3 reading achievement (effect size = .48 in 2005-2006 and .60 in 2006-2007). There were enduring achievement effects 2 years after exit from the program. The outcomes indicate that CSR approaches based on capacity building, partnerships with an external agency, and accountability enhance student learning.