The poverty-related attainment gap is an internationally recognised problem. It resides within a culture of performativity in which international comparators, underpinned by neo-liberal ideology, drive national policy. This conceptual paper interrogates the relationship between poverty, attainment and children's mental health and wellbeing to…

Recent conservative reviews of Australia's national English curriculum argue for a return to less critical approaches to English language education and a stronger emphasis on traditional, functional approaches to provide adequate English learning experiences for school-age students. This neoliberal shift poses a threat to adolescent learners from…

This article explores the issue of minority education in the nation of Georgia, and this research aims to identify the reasons for minority educational problems. The results of school exit exams, literacy research studies, and the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment were used to highlight the differences in educational achievements…

In this paper the author wishes to shed light on some methodological aspects of documenting civics classes as part of educational research. Rooted in the research traditions of grounded theory and the use of ideal types, this study concentrates on one case of a civics course taught in an Israel high school. Touching on the empirical and…

Paula Worth presents in this article a means of challenging students' tendency to generalise even when they know that they should not. How can teachers encourage their students to say something meaningful about the past while avoiding making unwarranted generalisations? Worth takes teachers through the process of planning her own enquiry designed…

Despite setting high hopes on education, very few pastoral nomad children in Kenya transition from primary education to secondary education. This article argues that the national Kenyan compulsory formal curriculum fails to accommodate the needs of pastoralist communities. Literacy rates are particularly low among the Turkana people, pastoralist…

In this paper, we present the results from a study of the impact on students involved in a large-scale inquiry-based astronomical high school education intervention in Australia. Students in this intervention were led through an educational design allowing them to undertake an investigative approach to understanding the lifecycle of stars more…

Whether the study of languages should be a core element of a balanced and broadly based curriculum for all pupils in England's 11-16 state-funded secondary schools is also part of a wider debate concerning how to harness England's rich linguistic and cultural diversity and improve the quality and range of language skills of the country. While…

In 1998 the Northern Examination and Assessment Board selected the poem 'Nothing's Changed' by the South African writer Tatamkhulu Afrika as the last of its ten "Poems from Other Cultures and Traditions." Published in the NEAB "Anthology" (1998), 'Nothing's Changed' became a favourite at GCSE for its vivid depiction of…

Following an era in which the National Curriculum has been very prescriptive, and based on specific knowledge, the current proposals offer greater flexibility. Accountability has not gone away but the fine detail of what is taught, and how, is for schools and teachers to decide. Instead of setting top levels of achievement demoralisingly…

These are the key findings from New Zealand Council for Educational Research's (NZCER's) latest survey of secondary schools, conducted in August and September 2018. In the 2018 survey responses, there was a general theme of growing demands being made on schools to respond to increasingly complex needs of students. Teachers were feeling…

What is meant by fundamental British values? How are they constructed and can they be taught in schools? In trying to address these questions, this paper revisits a small-scale research study commissioned by the UK's previous New Labour government. The research was concerned to understand the extent to which schools delivered a diverse curriculum…

It is implied by governing organizations that Australia is presently experiencing its first national curriculum reform, when as the title suggests it is the second. However, until now Australian states and territories have been responsible for the education curriculum delivered within schools. The present national curriculum reform promises one…

Transition Year is a unique and exciting programme situated in the middle of the six year second level education system in Ireland. Since its introduction in 1974, the programme has experienced unprecedented growth now being offered in over 80% of schools on the island. Transition Year seeks to emphasize alternative learning methodologies…

Starting with the writer's own experience as a reader, this article discusses poetry by Eric Roach, Derek Walcott, Linton Kwesi Johnson, John Agard, Edward Baugh, Michael Smith and Velma Pollard. It explores the sense of place felt by writer and reader, going on to analyse the poets' use of Nation Language, poetic metre and intertextuality in…