What are the characteristics of an effective school?

Answers will vary. Research summaries indicate that an effective school has the following characteristics:
~An active, energetic principal
~An orderly but not oppressive atmosphere
~Empowerment of teachers; that is, teachers participating in decision making
~Teachers with high expectations that children will learn
~A curriculum that emphasizes academics
~Frequent assessment of student performance
~Empowerment of students; that is, students participating in setting goals, making decisions, and engaging in cooperative learning activities
~Certain aspects of the school environment are important as well. One key factor is class size. Smaller classes permit students to receive more individual attention and are particularly useful in teaching the "basics"-reading, writing, and arithmetic-to students at risk for academic failure.