Quality and Equity in Education ― Revisiting Theory and Research on Educational Effectiveness and Improvement

Quality and Equity in Education makes a major contribution to knowledge and theory building in research on promoting quality and equity in education. The book draws attention to the importance of not only developing and testing theories of educational effectiveness, but also using these theories for improvement purposes. For this reason, the authors refer to recent theoretical developments in the field of educational effectiveness and propose an improved version of the dynamic theory that takes into account findings of studies testing its validity.

The book presents the rationale and the main features of the Dynamic Approach to School Improvement (DASI) model. Drawing upon research conducted across the world during the last fifteen years, the book critically presents the findings in order to test the validity of the DASI model and search for the impact of this approach on promoting quality in education. Based on these findings, the authors revise the dynamic theory of educational effectiveness and explore the possibilities of using an evidence-based and theory-driven approach to promote not only quality, but also equity, in education.

Quality and Equity in Education is aimed at academics, researchers and postgraduate students working in the area of quality and equity in education. Contributing to the debate on how quality and equity can be achieved, the book also demonstrates how an evidence-based and theory-driven approach to school improvement can be established. As such, it should be essential reading for policymakers, school advisors and other practitioners.

Leonidas Kyriakides is Professor in Educational Research and Evaluation and the Head of the Department of Education at the University of Cyprus.

Hubertus (Bert) Creemers is Professor Emeritus at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

Anastasia Panayiotou is a member of the Department of Education at the University of Cyprus.