More grounded criticisms of effectiveness research centre on the following points, outlined by Reynolds et al.(1996):
1. most studies in the west have been within disadvantaged or deprived contexts rather than with schools in advantaged areas.
2. there has generally been less of a focus on classroom processes.
3.’the historic lack of any “interface” between school effectiveness research and school improvement practice’ (ibid., p.139)
4. there have only been rudimentary attempts at theory generation.