Examined determinants of socioeconomic segregation between schools in England and Wales since 1988, using school data on family income and special educational needs. Results indicate that segregation has declined since 1988, with variations in segregation and changes in segregation between regions. Results suggest that whatever is driving the…

Critiques the methodology used by Gorard and Fitz in their work on changing levels of social segregation between schools, arguing that their index of segregation does not reveal how patterns of school enrollment have changed over time, challenging their dismissal of the polarization hypothesis, and concluding that notwithstanding Gorard and Fitz's…

Responds to a critique of the author's work on the changing social composition of schools in England and Wales since 1988, discussing the critique's three criticisms of the original study, examining some minor points, and concluding that the original study is the fullest examination of the polarization thesis to date, with no really good evidence…

Investigated Ethiopia's secondary physical sciences curriculum, emphasizing practical work and describing intentions and realizations of the science curriculum in terms of that intended by policymakers and curriculum developers and that implemented by science teachers. Data from interviews, observations, and document analyses indicated that the…

Examined how English special schools, which had been inspected, judged inadequate, and put under special measures, made progress. Data from documentary analysis and case studies in special schools indicated that progress related to the conduct of certain planning-related activities following inspection. Whether these activities happened depended…

Investigated the usefulness of home-school reports for different communities of parents. Data from parent interviews and a survey of reporting practices in English secondary schools indicated that many schools were doing more than was legally required, though there were many difficulties. Parents felt that reports were overgeneralized and…

Researched PhD graduates who completed doctoral study during a period of change in the United Kingdom and confusion around the role and purpose of the doctorate. Based on qualitative interviews, the paper raises issues about the value and outcomes of doctoral study, student self-perception, and the capacity of the modern doctorate to yield both…

Compared policies and practices of curriculum change in English and Finnish primary schools. Case studies documented the implementation of reforms at the classroom level and teachers' attitudes toward them. Though England promoted a national curriculum and Finland was moving away from one, teachers in both countries had common responses to change,…

Examined the leisure activities of middle school students on St. Helena (an island in the mid-South Atlantic) before and after the introduction of television. Diary surveys from 1994, 1995, and 1997 indicated that children took to watching television enthusiastically, but not (for the majority) to the extent to where their lives were dominated by…

Examined a comprehensive program that used a whole-school approach to prepare high school students for making healthy lifestyle choices, particularly related to sexuality/sexual risk taking. The program involved teacher development, parent involvement, and peer leadership development. Survey data indicated that the program influenced the whole…

Used computer-mediated communication (CMC) to support postgraduate students in distance-education contexts, examining how CMC could reduce transactional distance and noting the construction of learning communities within an online environment and the socioacademic nature of such communities. Results indicate that CMC can support the construction…

Sets the current public debate about gender and schooling in England into a historical and a United Kingdom-wide context, addressing the highly politicized context in which educational research on gender has taken place over the past 20 years, discussing the feminization of teaching, and examining attacks on English schools for failing boys as a…

English researchers compared the academic and social benefits of single sex and coeducational schools, examining test scores and interviewing 100 college students (balanced for sex and type of school) about their experiences and their ease of adjustment to higher education. Results indicated that segregating the sexes did not increase…

Explores the European Commission's discourse of gendered equality regarding economic growth and social exclusion, considering its effect on education and training policy. The paper reviews recent commission-policy documents that include discourses of economic growth and peace; explores the relationship between discourses of economic growth, peace,…

Analyzed how British primary schools interpreted discretionary time, noting how that interpretation related to amounts of time given to different subjects within the National Curriculum. Surveys and interviews indicated that over half of the schools had 5% or less of the week available for discretionary time. Circle time and health education were…