Most teachers in developed societies use ready-made programs to teach initial reading. The present study compares the effects of 3 such programs, covering 70% of the market. Programs differed with respect to their student versus whole-class orientation and the availability of teaching materials. The program outcomes investigated were Word Reading,…

While many aspects of educational careers have been examined in the literature on ethnic minorities, such as truancy, turnover and grades, downward mobility has rarely been studied. Using data on more than 10,000 students who entered secondary school in The Netherlands in 1989, we develop an event-history model for secondary school careers and we…

Our study investigates the impact of different social contexts (family, peer groups, school) on student outcomes of 5,110 students in Dutch secondary schools. Configuration is used to construct typologies from the intersection of these 3 social contexts of learning. Four empirically based configurations were found. The relative and additional…

States that since September 1998, when it became a statutory requirement for maintained primary schools in England, schools have been required to implement baseline assessment for all children within seven weeks of starting school, unless comparable assessment has been made. Extends discussion and evidence concerning earlier phases of baseline…

Notes that Geoff Lindsay and Ann Lewis have written a clear, well-organized, highly informative account of the state of baseline assessment in England, exposing its flaws. Finds that they have not conducted an overall evaluation of the policy. (BT)

Reports findings of retrospective study of tracked grouping (a fast track for top 25-30% of a cohort and a mixed track for the others) in a mathematics department in a greater London (England) coeducational comprehensive school. Outlines reasons for introducing tracking and explores its effects through teacher interviews and student data. (BT)

Probes rationale for extensively school-based training programs, involving school-based teacher mentors as supporters of student teachers' learning. Asks what student teachers are learning in schools and how that learning is supported. Suggests student teachers' learning is heavily situated--they are not acquiring easily transferable ways of…

Examines factors related to high attainment (using data from Scottish School Leavers Survey) and asks whether these differ for males and females. Establishes a strong relationship between social advantage/high attainment within genders. Found girls took school more seriously than males, supporting theories girls and boys experience different peer…

Reports on a one-year study of quiet disaffection conducted in three Year 9 mathematics classrooms in Norfolk (England). Constructs a profile of quiet disaffection from secondary mathematics through extensive observation and interviews with 13-14 year-old pupils (n=70). Proposes that its characteristics include tedium, isolation, rote learning,…

Describes 10 roles teachers can perform to put the concepts of metacognition and transfer into practice, identified by interviewing students who had been taught using the innovative practice of debriefing. Discusses the broader issues of how teachers can be engaged in research and knowledge production in a satisfying relationship. (BT)

Highlights key factors in learning careers, particularly in relation to the impact of formative assessment practices. Relates research findings on formative assessment in primary and further education to studies which use Pierre Bourdieu's notions of habitus, field, cultural and social capital to explore learning careers and learning identities in…

Presents a critical analysis of mentoring for social inclusion. Traces its dramatic international expansion as a tool of education policies in the 1990s; identifies a new model, engagement mentoring, which seeks to re-engage disaffected youth with the formal labor market. States mentors are treated as vehicles for these objectives. (BT)

Reports part of an empirical research project investigating the professional development, knowledge, and beliefs of several teachers effective at teaching literacy working in primary schools throughout England. Presents a detailed case study analysis of the literacy-related professional development experience of a subsample of the effective…

States the advent of national value-added datasets linking performance across key stages for the majority of pupils in England has enabled detailed analysis. Reports distinct difference in Key Stage 3 test levels for pupils on the borderline between grammar school and secondary modern school, even with prior attainment taken into account. (BT)

Presents data from nationally representative sample of the England/Wales Youth Cohort Study, describing patterns of paid work among full-time students in Years 12/13 working for qualifications. Shows paid work of a few hours has negligible impact on "A" level grades, but long working hours significantly reduce grades. (BT)