Background: In educational policies, two discourses on gender have existed since the 1980s. I call them the "gender equality discourse" and the "boy discourse". The gender equality discourse in education is based on international and national declarations and plans, and is focused predominantly on the position of girls and…

The National curriculum assessment (NCA) in Wales has evolved from common foundations into a system that is now distinct from that in England. The influence of the political and social milieu of Wales can be seen both in the distinctive features that have been in place from the outset and in the more radical changes introduced since 2002. In this…

The five papers in this collection consider a range of important issues in relation to the English national curriculum assessment system (NCA). In responding to these articles, Jannette Elwood considers some of the issues the authors have raised generally in relation to a revised English NCA, but also more specifically she considers them from a…

In this commentary, the author discusses some of the issues she finds interesting from a Swedish perspective, and also makes some comparisons between the systems. The English and Swedish education and assessment systems have some fundamental differences, but also similarities. Some are becoming even more evident after learning about the…

In Italian secondary schools, it is not literature that is studied but the history of literature; it is not philosophy that is studied but the history of philosophy. Similarly, in higher education, history students even have to take an exam in the history of historiography. This is to say that in Italy, history plays a key cultural role. That is…

Against a shifting set of assessment preferences in the US regarding whether educational assessment should continue to be a states rights game or become a federally dominated undertaking, the publication of five first-rate analyses about England's national curriculum assessment (NCA) is particularly propitious. Taken together, these five papers…

A case of home visiting in one school to increase the involvement of parents of five- to eight-year-olds in the teaching of reading is reported. Three kinds of visit are identified: preliminary, consultative, and special visits. The function of visiting is discussed; implications for practice are explored. (Author/CH)

Alternative ways of linking Piagetian theory to the teaching of reading are proposed, including a constructivist approach to reading and a fresh look at the capabilities of the preoperational child. (SK)

Outlines difficulties that teachers are likely to encounter in combining tasks of teacher and researcher and that might deter them from accepting the dual role. (JOW)

Describes methods by which adult education programs may better accommodate students with special needs. Concludes that most important is the development of a coherent program of teacher education in this field. (NRJ)

A questionnaire and interview survey of health education carried out in the secondary schools of one local education authority is described. The survey revealed that health education was both widely dispersed throughout the curriculum in the context of other subject and across the pupil age range. (Author)

This paper presents and discusses data based on the perceptions of 128 persistent school absentees on their initial and continued reasons for missing school. The findings suggest that a greater proportion of the students were inclined to blame their institutions, rather than social or psychological factors, for their behavior. (SSH)

The Concepts in Secondary Mathematics and Science Project isolated four "levels" of understanding in algebra. These were derived from a national study. The research reported here set out to assess how realistic it was to apply the notion of "level" to individual schools. (Author/SSH)

There are three phases in the process of introducing and establishing staff development. They may be characterized as: What is it? How do we get started? and How well are we doing? Sooner or later, an interest in some form of evaluation is inevitable. (Author/SSH)

Identifies a number of key areas for further research on school effectiveness. The author draws up a framework of questions by which future studies might be assessed. He also argues that certain aspects of the way in which research on school effectiveness is conducted should be rethought. (CT)