This paper presents a new analysis of segregation between schools in terms of pupils living in poverty, for all secondary schools in England from 1996 to 2005. This shows that the clustering of similar pupils in specific schools increased noticeably from 1996 to 2001, but then settled at a level still below that of 1989 when official records…

This paper presents some results from a review of evidence on the barriers to participation in further and higher education in England, organised around the life-course of an individual from birth to the decision to participate in FE/HE at the traditional age. It is clear that inequalities between socioeconomic groups appear early in life and…

This article has two chief purposes. It presents a substantive reappraisal of a decade of school choice research in the UK. This reappraisal is used as a case study illustrating the elasticity of the notion of social science "evidence", when wielded by academics in an area where strong ideological preconceptions struggle with the lack of…

How developed countries train, recruit and retain their schoolteachers is an area of considerable interest in education today. In this paper we consider how the US is addressing the issue of teacher quality by holding schools and school districts accountable for ensuring that all teachers of core subjects are "highly qualified" by the…

Takes as background the shift over time in Great Britain toward models of target setting in education, based almost entirely on measurable outputs. Outlines some alternative models involving targets for inputs and processes, and use of targets that are exhortative rather than directly measurable. (BT)

Explores cause-effect models and their role in educational research, reviewing various kinds of causal models. Concludes that cause-effect provides a powerful, persuasive, and nearly universal explanation for social and psychological processes despite the inability to detect it directly. (SLD)

This paper presents student perspectives on what they consider to be a fair and equitable national education system, based on their own experiences of primary and secondary level schooling by the age of 13 or 14. A survey of 5432 students in five countries involved a questionnaire administered as part of an EU-funded project to develop indicators…

Public policy rhetoric depicts information/communications technologies as a means of transforming lifelong education, freeing individual learners, broadening social inclusion, and improving competitiveness. However, concerns about social exclusion are predominantly economic, and increasing participation does not mean the same thing as widening…

Describes a recurring error in standard analyses of educational performance, the "politician's error," that results from using percentage point differences as though they were percentages. This simple oversight results in the misinterpretation of trends over time, with implications for both policy and research. (SLD)

Evidence from a large-scale survey of adult learning experiences in Wales suggests there are serious flaws in policies for postsecondary education, including target setting, economic rationale for learning, and technology to overcome barriers. Data show the causes of nonparticipation may not be addressed by the policies being implemented.…

Initial education has been the focus of policy, resulting in higher participation rates and attainment. However, adult rates of participation and qualification have received less attention and are decreasing. One solution might be to break the link between education and human capital investment and foster a vision of lifelong learning as valuable…

This paper reconsiders long-term, national or socially contextualized trends in a number of important education areas commonly addressed by policy interventions. These include widening participation, teacher training, school performance, the use of targets, and student assessment. In each case, it is very difficult to sustain an argument that…

This study examined the extent to which introduction of educational markets changed the social composition of secondary schools in England and Wales. Using data from the introduction of the 1988 Education Reform Act onward, it measured changes in the tendency for students with different socioeconomic characteristics to cluster in particular…

Addresses the Welsh school-effect in which schools in Wales generally have lower school outcome measures compared to England although the growing number of Welsh medium schools in South Wales are doing better. Suggests an alternative way of analyzing school performance data that leads to the opposite conclusion on both propositions. (CMK)

This paper presents four case studies that are part of a larger study on admissions arrangements and impacts on school admissions for all local education authorities (LEAs) in England and Wales. It examines factors influencing the social composition of schools. A total of 23 LEAs completed interviews about their secondary school admissions…