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…

Considers the notion of schools in a "spiral of decline," in which less popular schools within a market system lose numbers and increase their proportion of socially disadvantaged pupils over time. Using data derived from all secondary schools in England from 1989 to 1999, finds little evidence for any increase in the existence of such…

Britain's 1988 Education Reform Act allows schools to opt out of Local Education Authority control and become grant-maintained by central government. Supporters claim the practice will increase parental choice and improve standards; critics say it will reintroduce selection. This paper examines the measure's background and discusses five research…

Examines interconnections between accountability, power, and control within the British education system, focusing on the 5-18 education. Although some of the structures and processes are very similar to those of the U.S. K-12 system, the British national system is highly centralized and highly market-driven, with a strong emphasis on parental…

This paper reviews the use of a segregation ratio in analyzing changes in the pattern of socioeconomic segregation between schools in England and Wales, addressing how the modifiable areal unit problem affects results. Researchers are developing methods for assessing socioeconomic stratification among school admissions and for comparing those…

Summarized findings from a study of school choice in publicly funded schools in England and Wales, analyzing changes over time in students' characteristics and performance. Results indicated that the socioeconomic stratification of students declined after the introduction of choice policies. Standards in publicly funded schools rose relative to…

This study examines whether some English and Welsh secondary schools have consistently lost market share since 1988, whether the same schools are becoming relatively more socially disadvantaged in socioeconomic terms, whether the schools are in a spiral of decline, and whether the spirals of decline are caused by school choice. It outlines changes…

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…