Value-added measures of school effectiveness are reviewed in relation to the British government's requirement for schools to publish raw examination results. A series of multilevel analyses of examination results found that most variation in pupil outcomes could be explained by pupil intake factors suggesting the greater importance of…

Variations in the rates, school types, and successful school strategies employed were evaluated with 5 cohorts of pupils passing through 34 secondary schools in 1 British local education agency. The study used a multilevel analytical model which found about one in seven schools improved rapidly over the five-year period, but that differences in…

Classroom observation, a survey of several hundred primary grade teachers in the United Kingdom, and interviews with teachers found that National Curriculum requirements have produced considerable change in curriculum planning, management, assessment, and recordkeeping, against a backdrop of relative continuity of deeper pedagogy, especially in…

A British university-initiated action research project emphasized development and evaluation of strategies for enhancing eighth graders' self-regulated learning. Case studies indicated the project had limited success in impacting teaching strategies and curriculum development, and the National Curriculum did nothing to increase the likelihood of…

Describes a study by British researchers that attempted to describe progression in learning in terms of a common framework for all students. Elementary school students completed periodic interviews while being taught measurement skills. Results found a wide spread of attainment in measurement in each age range but less clear progression between…

Reports a study of teachers' and students' perceptions of effective teaching and learning in British secondary schools. Interviews indicated that students and teachers felt learning opportunities were heightened when using transactional teaching, and opportunities for transactional teaching were limited by the presence of certain conditions. (SM)

A longitudinal study examined developments in preschoolers' understanding of literacy and numeracy, comparing learning models based on adult-child interactions or on children's learning processes at preschools with varied reflectivity levels. Children's understanding of symbols related to literacy and numeracy. Developments in their understanding…

Explores how students understand and develop strategies for handling the pressures of 10th grade, examining students' attitudes toward different learning contexts. Data from a longitudinal study of students' educational experiences suggested that 10th grade brought a considerable shift in learning pace and style, with students more pressured to…

Examines young children's learning, focusing on strategies used to apply old knowledge in new learning. Data from a longitudinal study of early elementary students' mathematical knowledge indicated that children's abilities to learn were strongly influenced by their understanding of the contexts in which they were required to participate in…

In 1982, 1988, and 1993, the British government surveyed beginning teachers in schools. This article examines recent studies of beginning teachers, comparing results to the earlier research. Results indicate that primary teachers with undergraduate degrees felt more capable of teaching mathematics than one-year postgraduate trainees. Headteachers…