This article argues that the engagement of teachers in collaborative discussions about assessment can provide a fruitful context for valuable professional learning. It is of interest to those who provide Continuous Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for teachers and teachers themselves. It looks particularly at the value of writing…

If personal computers (PCs) are used to facilitate learning, then a home computer might be considered a potential input in an educational production function. Using data on British youths from the British Household Panel Survey between 1991 and 2001, this paper explores the link between ownership of a home computer at ages 15 and 17 and subsequent…

The measurement of value added (MVA) is a powerful tool that can help British further education colleges improve student and program performance. MVA can focus on individual learners, sectional management issues, and presentation of colleges' achievements to external audiences. MVA may be used for the following purposes: improving guidance and…

For more than 50 years, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) has been conducting comparative studies of educational achievement in a number of curriculum areas, including mathematics and science. TIMSS 2011 represents the fifth cycle of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),…

Delineates key features of four European projects designed to consider the effects of assessment on student motivation and academic achievement. Focuses on the experiences and needs of less successful students and how assessment may contribute to poor performance. Highlights concerns for changes in education that will promote high-risk student…

This article seeks to apply Adam Swift's (2003) critique of private and selective schooling to higher education in the UK. The higher education sector in this country is highly differentiated, with high status, research-led elite institutions at the top of the university hierarchy, and newer universities, with far lower levels of funding and…

While there are severe limitations on the availability, comparability, and reliability of education statistics for the United States and other major foreign nations, a comparison of data reveals that the relative ranking of the United States among other nations with respect to educational participation in general is high, but that it is low in…