Education systems are currently under challenge to teach new skills and competencies to all their students, and to function under increasing financial constraints brought about by changing economic circumstances. The effectiveness of schools to meet these challenges is being questioned by politicians, business leaders and academics worldwide, with the result that school effectiveness has become one of the important themes of world education. This book begins with a review of the international research in school effectiveness, exploring how the term "school effectiveness" is defined and used, how effective schools have been identified and how effectiveness is achieved. This, together with the author's own research data collected in the UK, the US, Canada and Australia, is used to develop a broader perspective of school effectiveness, one which includes the need for local communities to be mobilised for school development to be really useful. Tony Townsend also provides a model for school improvement which builds on the school effectiveness literature, incorporating community education principles and processes to ensure full involvement of the local community.