This paper examines the complex constellation of conditions that turn many young people into "exiles" from schooling. From the vantage point of young people, the paper traces out a profile of the conditions that need to be brought into existence for these young people to find a way back into learning. The paper argues that current…

In this article we describe how the Bush administration has used deceptive techniques and subterfuge to force its ideology upon the American people. We provide examples of similar techniques used to manipulate public opinion and national policy in three broad areas: national defense, science, and education. Our example from national defense…

This paper describes an instance of a disadvantaged (urban) Australian government school that realized it had little alternative but to try new approaches; "old ways" were not working. The paper describes an ensemble of school reform practices, philosophies and strategies that give young adolescents genuine ownership of their learning.…

Introduction of the advanced skills teacher (AST) classification into Australian schools is a poignant example of how discursive practices shape the lives of teachers through patterns of reward, processes, and criteria. In recognizing certain skills as advanced (and devaluing others), the AST process has encouraged, even mandated, their…

Describes the efforts of a group of Australian primary and secondary teachers who have taken an innovative approach to in-service education. Notes that current attempts at educational reform seem to have failed because the major actors have been largely excluded from the action, except as respondents to the agendas of others. (KO)

This paper presents an argument around the need to rethink the issue of early school leaving from the vantage point of students and teachers, and the conditions and pathways that need to be constructed and brought into existence within schooling, if such conditions do not already exist. The attempt is to move discussions outside of the…