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Under-examination of the notion of competition between schools has created a considerable asymmetry between the reality and the literature of schooling. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the validity of school competition and verify the propositions regarding the effects of school marketing practices in literature, particularly Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) and aided schools in Hong Kong.

It tests the relationships between student intake and school academic performance and school marketing practices. It also compares the pattern of the relationships between the DSS and aided secondary schools. Secondary data from 441 secondary schools were retrieved from a popular secondary school admission magazine in Hong Kong and from the schools’ websites.

Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the school’s academic performance was positively related to discretionary student intake. In addition, marketing school academic performance, but not marketing school features, was positively related to student intake. At last, it was found that marketing school academic performance intensified the relationship between the school’s academic performance and student intake in aided schools but not in DSS schools. The results were interpreted as demonstrating that school competition in Hong Kong is a battle of lifting academic performance.

This study is potential and worthwhile in at least two ways. First, testing the relationships of student intake with academic performance and school marketing practices helps to verify the notion of school competition in the education sector, which, in turn, can bridge the gap between the practice and literature of schooling. Second, examining school competition in Hong Kong can help to identify an important contextual reality for future scholars whose research site is located in Hong Kong.

This paper aims to discuss methods for measuring and comparing the performance of Portuguese schools, confronting metric and practice benchmarking exercises.

Data on the schools was collected within the context of a programme for school evaluation launched by the Ministry of Education in 2007. The paper first uses a non‐parametric technique, data envelopment analysis, to assess the sample of schools using the data collected, taking a value‐added approach. The results obtained are compared with the results obtained by the panels of evaluators within the national evaluation programme of schools.

The paper concludes that the performance of the schools under the metric benchmarking exercise does vary substantially. However, the results do not correlate with the judgements made by the panels of assessors regarding schools' results. This might be because assessors find it difficult to take a value‐added approach and instead assess schools mostly on output measures, such as exam classifications and graduation rates, having difficulty in taking into account pupils' socio‐economic background and other variables not under the control of the school.

The paper focuses on the Portuguese context, and its findings might not be directly applicable to other contexts. Also, if other quantitative and qualitative methods were used, other results might have been obtained.

Although the study is focused on the Portuguese context, contributing towards a better understanding of Portuguese secondary school performance, it is believed it will be helpful to inform the debate on school evaluation, performance improvement and policy setting in other contexts.

The paper concludes by arguing for metric benchmarking exercises of the type proposed, to inform schools, evaluators and policy decision‐makers, in combination with practice benchmarking exercises, which are better suited for qualitative aspects of performance.

As a failure analysis emphasizing school leadership in underprivileged schools serving socioeconomically disadvantaged and minority students, the study is interested in determining whether and to what extent variations in distributed leadership (DL) practices are related to student performance through the mediating effects of four-path variables.

This research conducted secondary data analysis using the 2015 PISA American data. The study employed factor analysis and structural equation models (SEMs) to investigate multidimensional associations among a set of variables, including school socioeconomic status (SES), student composition, DL practices, school four-path factors and student performance. The research used a design-based resampling approach with balanced repeated replication (BRR) weights to analyze the complex survey data.

The results indicate that, within a DL framework, teacher leadership in instructional management is positively and directly related to student performance. Governing board leadership in school administration is indirectly related to student performance through four-path variables' mediating effects. Importantly, though the two leadership sources help improve student performance, they are less prevalent in underprivileged schools with disproportional minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

This research is a failure analysis through the lens of DL for underprivileged schools. The study used rigorous quantitative approaches and examined multidimensional associations among school socioeconomic status (SES), DL, school factors that school leaders could maneuver and student performance. The evidence sheds light on remedial actions in failed schools to focus on improving teacher leadership and organizational capacity.

One of the features of the New Zealand secondary schools system is that achievement closely reflects the taught curriculum. The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) directly assesses student achievement on the secondary school curriculum through a combination of criterion‐based internal and external assessments. The nature of NCEA means school‐level results not only reflect student achievement but also the ability of leaders to organise, deliver, and monitor a relevant curriculum for students. This paper aims to describe how NCEA data were used to develop a simple but fair system to assess the relative performance of secondary schools.

No standardised measures of performance prior to Year 11 are available in New Zealand. Nor are student‐level data available. In the absence of these, multiple indicators of gross performance, added value and improvement over time were analysed using a schools‐of‐similar‐type methodology.

Results indicated that schools in the low and middle SES communities were more likely to be improving than others, but these improving schools were also more likely to be already high‐ or mid‐performing. Low‐performing schools were least likely to be improving.

Some advantages of this methodology are its ability to be utilised with any publicly available standards‐based achievement data, its validity as an indicator of leadership and organisational performance, and its ability to track school performance trends over time.

The purpose of this study is to examine the applicability of Watkins and Marsick’s model of learning organization in the school context and explore the relationship between the learning dimensions and perceived organizational outcomes.

Using the instrument, Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ), the study collected data from 322 teachers and professional staff in K-12 schools. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling provide validity evidence for using the DLOQ in schools.

The study results indicate the learning organization is a multidimensional concept and the quality of the school as a learning organization is related to improved organizational performance as perceived by school personnel.

The study measured perceived organizational outcomes using a sample in an urban school district. Future research is encouraged to expand the study sample and to collect actual performance data to strengthen the findings.

The study provides reliability and validity evidence for an instrument that school leaders and practitioners can use to assist their evaluation of the school’s capacity as a learning organization to leverage improvement in school performance.

The study emphasizes an integrative approach in evaluating schools as learning organizations (SLOs) and extends the evidence base for the DLOQ studies. It offers empirical support for the significance of developing SLOs.

This research aimed to analyze the causality between the four perspectives in the balanced scorecard (BSC) performance and to analyze the different performance of the four perspectives for the two group schools studied.

Quantitative data were processed using Smart PLS 0.3 and an independent sample t-test. Qualitative data collected using open questionnaires on performance achievement strategies and constraints were analyzed using the Leximancer 4.51.

Results showed that innovation and learning performance influenced financial performance and internal business performance. However, innovation and learning performance did not affect customer satisfaction performance. Internal business performance affected financial performance. However, internal business performance did not influence customer satisfaction performance. Customer satisfaction performance did not influence financial performance. Customer satisfaction performance did not mediate the relationship between innovation and learning performance and financial performance. Internal business performance mediated the relationship between innovation and learning performance and financial performance. The two school groups exhibited differing innovation and learning performance, with no difference for the other three perspectives.

The implication of the study is the necessity to create synergy between all parties (school and authorities) to optimize school performance. Improvement in financial performance, especially related to transparency and accountability, will help to improve stakeholders' trust in schools. The government can use the BSC to evaluate public school performance to achieve comprehensive assessment results.

The use of the four perspectives in the BSC performance since public schools in Indonesia have never implemented it.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the processes involved in implementing school performance index (SPIN) – a new key performance indicator – and the results of its application in Malaysian public schools.

A sample of 76 Malaysian schools from five districts was selected randomly. The analytical procedures such as documentary analysis, observation and interviews with 101 headmasters and principals, Parents‐Teachers Association representatives and brainstorming session with Schools Inspectors was used.

Schools performed differently when evaluated using various criteria of their operational efficiency and effectiveness. The results show that schools, which have scored higher in examination results (test scores) do not necessarily perform in other categories. In fact, the overall SPIN scores indicated they are in the bottom list.

SPIN can help authorities to better monitor the operational performance of the schools in providing quality education to future generations of Malaysians.

In general, schools' performance is measured based on students' examination results (test scores). SPIN is introduced to propose that a school should be measured within its capability as different schools will have different capacity. It is argued that operational efficiency and effectiveness (by incorporating various elements such as leadership, measurement analysis and strategic planning), is a better measure on how the school performs.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the procedures followed in developing and validating a context specific instrument to measure the performance of public schools in a Malaysian setting.

The paper adopted the mixed methodology, qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative approach was used at the initial stage of item generation for the instrument while the quantitative method was predominantly used to empirically establish the psychometric properties of the instrument.

The paper finds that the context‐specific instrument is psychometrically sound. The reliability index for all the dimensions are well above 0.75 and the various empirical analysis provide evidence of convergent, concurrent, and discriminant validity as well as dimensionality.

The paper provides detailed information on developing and validating a new context‐specific instrument. The method and procedure can be a good reference for researchers interested in developing instruments.

The soft system methodology intervention enhances holistic discussion in relation to the focal at the item generation phase. This allows a greater amount of creative debate resulting in a comprehensive list of indicators to be used the instrument.

The purpose of this paper is to combine seemingly unrelated factors to explain global competitiveness. The study argues that school discipline and education investment affect competitiveness with the association being mediated by educational performance. Crucially, diachronic effects of discipline on performance are tested to demonstrate effects over time.

Partial least square (PLS) modelling is used to analyse the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data. The study further draws from World Bank data on Government Expenditure and World Economic Forum data on competitiveness. Five PISA dimensions of school discipline (students listening well, noise levels, teacher waiting time, students working well, class start time) are hypothesised to affect academic performance in reading, math and science, and to ultimately impact competitiveness.

Findings confirm the relative importance of school discipline (88 per cent) in comparison to education investment (12 per cent) on educational performance, with both variables also being found to be significantly associated with competitiveness directly.

This study demonstrates the time effects of discipline, more specifically that discipline dimensions (students listen well in 2003 and students work well in 2009) are associated with competitiveness in 2012. Implications for school policy and further research are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of school discipline in achieving academic performance. The study aims to clarify the role of permissive vis-à-vis authoritative teaching styles with an overarching hypothesis that better discipline leads to better academic performance. The authors also probe whether uniformed students have better discipline.

The authors analyse Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment data on school discipline dimensions: students listening well, noise levels, teacher waiting time, students working well, class start time. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc analysis on five geographic groups established by Baumann and Winzar (2016) was applied to test for geographic differences (Europe, Americas, Far East Asia, Rest of Asia, Anglo-Saxon cluster) in school discipline. ANOVA was further used to test for school discipline and academic performance. Third, t-tests on five discipline dimensions were run to test for differences between students who wear uniforms and those who do not.

The results demonstrate differences in school discipline across five geographic clusters, with East Asia leading the way. The authors demonstrate significant differences in discipline for low, medium and high performing students. Peak-performing students have the highest level of discipline. Students wearing a uniform listen better with lower teacher waiting times.

Students peak perform when teachers create a disciplined atmosphere where students listen to teachers, where noise levels in the classroom are low and they do not have to wait to start class and teach. Good discipline allows students to work well and this ultimately leads to better academic performance. Uniforms contribute to better discipline in everyday school operations. The findings support that in general, implementing school uniforms at schools might enhance discipline and allow for better learning. The authors recommend keeping uniforms where they are already used and to consider introducing uniforms where they are not yet common.