Effective Schools Project (ESP)

Initiated in 1988, Tarleton State University's Effective Schools Project (ESP) has evolved into one of the nation's largest and longest-running school-improvement ventures. With the Effective Schools research as its foundation, ESP is a school improvement network linking the Tarleton faculty with campus leadership teams from over fifty Texas schools in an ongoing effort to enhance school effectiveness. Since its inception, ESP has partnered with 216 different public schools campuses and Education Service Centers to provide comprehensive professional development opportunities for educators.

Dr. Jim Gentry and Dr. Bill Larmer have established the ESP Blog to highlight discussions from current public school teachers who are utilizing 'best practices' to promote learning in the classroom.  Feel free to join the conversation.

The ESP Journal is the official publication of the Effective Schools Project. The state-wide journal is dedicated to the dissemination of information, ideas and research among the participates in ESP, as well as other interested educators. Published annually, each issue of the journal focuses on a particular theme, but consideration is given to non-thematic articles. 

The theme for the 2014 edition will focus on what one sees, hears, and experiences in effective classrooms committed to best practices. Teachers using best practices to teach academic and social concepts for engaging all students in active learning will be welcomed. Therefore, best practices which extend learning to ALL students (K-12) will allow readers to generate ideas for their respective schools. Anyone interested in submitting a paper to the Journal for Effective Schools Project is encouraged to do so.  

As we share our best practices, we help create effective classrooms—THE GOAL OF ESP.