Performance improvement in schools: A case of overdose?

In this article, we suggest a parallel can be drawn between pressures to perform in sports and pressures on schools to perform. In developing this analogy we hold that schools, like athletes, have been exposed to the temptation of using artificial performance-enhancing substances. The application of such measures, although sometimes successful in the short term, has led to a number of unpleasant side effects and little enduring change in classrooms. This has given rise in some quarters to negative feelings about the future of education. On a more positive note, we extend the analogy by discussing several 'natural' performance-enhancing methods that are available to principals. These, we argue, offer increased hope for sustainable change in schools. Copyright © 2000 BEMAS.