What Works, What Doesn't

The Washington Post reports results of research done under the aegis of the National Bureau of Economic Research concerning what does and doesn't work in improving student outcomes. It turns out that class size, per pupil expenditure, number of teachers with credentials and/or graduate degrees are not important predictors of student accomplishment. However:

An index of five policies suggested by over forty years of qualitative research — frequent teacher feedback, the use of data to guide instruction, high-dosage tutoring, increased instructional time, and high expectations — explains approximately 50 percent of the variation in school effectiveness.

There's a good chance most of the rest of the variation is related to factors over which the school has zero control: student socioeconomic status, family stability, parental drug abuse, etc.