To what extent and why do social origins matter for access to higher education, including access to elite universities? What is the role of private and selective schooling? This paper uses the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) to analyse the trajectories of a generation currently in early middle age. We find that the influence of social origins,…

The Labour government elected in 1997, which lost power in 2010, was the longest serving Labour administration Britain has ever had. This period saw an enormous expansion of further and higher education, and an increase in the proportion of students achieving school-level qualifications. But have inequalities diminished as a result? We examine the…

An analysis of three research studies which examined the movement towards comprehensive schooling in Great Britain shows that the answer to the question "has it worked" can be yes or no, depending on the selection of data and of statistical techniques. (RM)

British comprehensive schools have been criticized by the left for failing to provide equality for everyone and by the right for sacrificing academic standards for equality. Such simultaneous criticisms suggest that the schools have been assigned either impossible or contradictory objectives, but have managed to achieve a reasonable compromise.…

Discusses educational research on school differences and points out features which often negatively influence research results, including failure to control for home background of students, use of inappropriate modes of statistical analysis, and failure to correctly interpret research findings. (Author/DB)

Reports on a longitudinal study about the educational progress and behavior of 49 children in long-term foster care and a comparison group of children receiving social work support while remaining with their birth families. Finds that the children in foster care showed lower academic achievement and more behavioral problems. (CFR)