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It is often considered that schools in the poorest neighbourhoods provide a lower quality of education than institutions in more advantaged areas. Nevertheless, considering all the barriers that some schools have to face, some of them seem to make a difference. They have demonstrated that it is possible to be more successful, despite the impact of their student intake from disadvantaged backgrounds. This book presents a research study about six secondary schools from two different counties in Chile, characterised by a socio-economically disadvantaged student intake. The main aim of the study was to gain greater understanding of the particular features that characterise these schools and the influence of them on students´ outcomes. Schools were analysed using a mixed-methods approach. The findings and conclusions presented allow the reader to better understand the processes enhancing school effectiveness in socially disadvantaged contexts and the conditions that similar schools should develop in order to replicate successful experiences and achieve better educational outcomes. The lessons from this book will be specially useful for education practitioners and policy makers.

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Dr. Roxana Balbontín holds a PhD in Education from The University of Nottingham, UK. Her research areas include School Effectiveness, School Leadership and Teaching Profession. She works as an education researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Education, University of Bío Bío, Chile.

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