Diversity,deprivation and the common good: pupil attainment in Catholic schools in England

Despite there being significant numbers of state maintained Catholic schools in England, they have until recently proved to be of interest only to a minority of researchers, usually those directly involved in their promotion. New Government initiatives encouraging further diversity in the provision of schools have proved controversial and, in reopening the religious debates of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, have prompted interest in the academic performance of Church schools. This paper takes a longitudinal approach in reviewing information already in the public domain, as well as presenting new evidence based on national examination performance data. Standards of academic attainment at Key Stage 4 in Catholic schools compare favourably with national norms. Such schools are particularly effective with more socially disadvantaged pupils and, as such, appear to offer much to the common good of society. Further areas for research are suggested.     

Teacher characteristics and pupil outcomes in secondary science classrooms

Conclusion The present research employed data collected in two separate studies related to ASEP to investigate relationships of changes in seven pupils learning outcomes with four teacher characteristics and four instruction-teacher interactions. A significant relationship (p<.05) emerged between changes in a learning outcome and a teacher characteristic in the following three cases: changes in critical thinking in science were more favourable in classes with less pupil-centredness teachers, and changes in attitude to science were more favourable in classes with female teachers and those with more pupil-centredness teachers. A significant relationship also emerged between changes in a learning outcome and the interaction of the instructional variable (ASEP/control) with a teacher characteristic in four cases, and these were interpreted in the paper. In addition to the specific findings outlined above, two more general tentative conclusions can be advanced. First, the use of common samples in separate studies appears useful for allowing the investigation of worthwhile questions which go beyond the bounds of the individual studies. Second, in view of the number of interesting relationships found between changes in learning outcomes and teacher and instruction-teacher interaction variables, it could be useful to replicate the present study.     

The relationship between concept attainment and level of maturity

Evidence supporting instructional sequences for and grade placements of concepts relating to the biological cell is given in this report on a pilot study. Is replication possible?     

The achievement gap: The impact of between-class attainment grouping on pupil attainment and educational equity over time

Despite extensive research on attainment grouping, the impact of attainment grouping on pupil attainment remains poorly understood and contested. This paper presents evidence from a study conducted with 2944 12–13 year olds, from 76 schools in England, who were allocated to between-class attainment groups (‘setting’) in English and mathematics over the first 2 years of secondary schooling. After controlling for prior attainment, pupils in the top set performed significantly better than pupils in the middle and bottom sets in both English and mathematics. The findings indicate a widening gap in attainment, especially in the case of English. Findings, especially in the case of mathematics, provide more evidence of a relative benefit for pupils placed in top sets than a relative detriment for those in bottom sets.     

Teacher knowledge: The relationship between caring and knowing

While everyone acknowledges the importance of the “caring teacher,” little acknowledgment of caring as an issue exists at the level of educational policymaking. This paper presents teacher and researcher stories which describe a teacher's knowledge in practice and argues for recognition of an epistemological role for caring in teaching. The teacher's narratives describe what she knows from caring and being in relationship with her students - her relational knowing (Hollingsworth et al., 1993, 1994)- and how this knowledge alters her pedagogy and the curriculum that is constructed with each student. Caring for the person (Noddings, 1984, 1992) is revealed as central to what the teacher knows. The findings of this research suggest that for the teacher, the relationship between caring and knowing is complex and involves a constant reflective process. In attempting to situate caring within existing theories for teacher knowledge, Elbaz' (1983) structures are found to be too neat and the boundaries too well defined. A construct of teacher knowledge as relational and dynamic is described. This builds upon Lyons' provisional characterization of the epistemological relationship between students and teachers as nested knowing: “that is, students and teachers are considered to have nested, interacting epistemological perspectives” (1990a, p. 162). In this view, knowledge is not limited to what one person knows, but the intersection where the knowing of two persons in-relation overlap and the consequences for student learning (and teacher development) when one of those persons is a teacher.     

Examining the Relationship Between Teacher Evaluation and Student Assessment Results in Washoe County

In this article, we describe findings from an analysis of the relationship between scores on a standards-based teacher evaluation system modeled on the Framework for Teaching (Danielson, 1996) and student achievement measures in a large Western school district. We apply multilevel statistical modeling to study the relationship between the evaluation scores and state and district tests of reading, mathematics, and a composite measure of reading and mathematics. Using a value-added framework, the teacher evaluation scores were included at the 2nd level, or teacher level, of the model when other student and teacher-level characteristics were controlled. This study provided some initial evidence of a positive association between teacher performance, as measured by the evaluation system, and student achievement. The coefficients representing the effects of teacher performance on student achievement were positive and were statistically significant in 4 of 9 grade-test combinations studied.     

Individual heterogeneity and reverse causality in the relationship between migraine headache and educational attainment

A recent study by Rees and Sabia (2011) found migraine headache was negatively related to educational attainment even after accounting for the influence of family-level unobservables. The current study explores whether this relationship is attributable to unmeasured individual heterogeneity in the form of personality by using non-migraine headache as a placebo. In addition, it explores the degree to which the negative relationship between migraine headache and educational attainment can be explained by reverse causality using mother's migraine status as an instrument. We conclude that the estimates reported by Rees and Sabia (2011) likely reflect the causal effect of migraine headache on educational attainment.     

Teacher and pupil ratings of self-esteem in developmental dyslexia

Neil Humphrey is a lecturer in psychology at Bolton Institute. In this article, based on the research he carried out for his PhD thesis, he explores the relationships between dyslexia and self-esteem in pupils. Neil Humphrey gathered data using both teacher rating scales and pupil self-reporting. He compares results from a group of pupils with dyslexia in mainstream settings; a group attending units for pupils with specific learning difficulties (SpLD); and a control group. In discussing his findings, Neil Humphrey presents practitioners working towards inclusion with a carefully considered challenge.     

Teacher Education in England and Wales

Teacher Education in England and Wales (Studies in Education, No. 8) GEOFFREY PARTINGTON, 1999 London: Institute of Education, University of London. 163 pp., ISBN 0 225 36476 8, £12     

以变应变:英格兰职前教师教育督导的变革依据与关键特征

教师教育的专项督导是高等教育分类督导体系建设中不可或缺的一部分.英格兰教育标准局主持的职前教师教育督导根据基础教育变革、教师发展、疫情冲击及时调整督导内容、方法与运行方式,以保障教育系统运行有序,规范教师教育合作伙伴的多元供给,提升职前教师教育的质量.以变应变的趋势之下,英格兰政府始终坚持教师教育的公共性,教育标准局作为监管者在开展教师教育督导时以法律为基础,以学习者需求为重;通过问责确保公共资金的投入物有所值;为消费者提供独立、可比较的评估信息;鼓励但不介入教师教育合作伙伴的改进.在充分理解英格兰教师教育督导的合理性、特殊性与局限性的基础上,可获得改善我国教师教育督导的洞见.     

Testing,Testing: Teacher assessment in England

In England there has been a marked increase in the assessment of teachers, culminating in the introduction of a performance management policy for schools that calibrates the occupation of teaching from the cradle to the grave. In this article, we raise a number of issues about the consequences of this policy for teachers and teaching in relation to the value system underpinning it, its likely impact on issues of equity and social justice, its implications for accountability and governance, and its potential for reshaping the culture of teaching in ways that will impact negatively on the nature of future community and social relations.     

A Methodological Conundrum: Comparing Schools in Scotland and England

This article considers a conundrum in research methodology; the fact that, in the main, you have to use a social science-based research methodology if you want to look at what goes on in a classroom. This article proposes an alternative arts-based research method instead based on the work of Eisner, and before him Dewey, where one can use the more traditional critical, close reading techniques that are usually associated with a degree in English. We look at a case study English lesson to illustrate and explore how this may be done.     

Comparing teacher roles in Denmark and England

This article reports the findings of a comparative study of teaching in Denmark and England. Its broader aim is to help develop an approach for comparing pedagogy. Lesson observations and interviews identified the range of goals towards which teachers in each country worked and the actions these prompted. These were clustered using the lens of Bernstein’s pedagogic discourse to construct teacher roles, which provided a view of pedagogy. Through this approach we have begun to identify variations in pedagogy across two countries. All teachers in this study adopted a variety of roles. Of significance was the ease with which competent English teachers moved between roles. The English teachers observed adopted roles consistent with a wider techno-rationalist discourse. There was a greater subject emphasis by Danish teachers, whose work was set predominantly within a democratic humanist discourse, whilst the English teachers placed a greater emphasis on applied skills.     

Philosophy and Teacher Education in England: The Long View

Until recently teacher education in England has always contained a ‘philosophical’ element – to do with what education is for in the light of human nature. The paper traces its history since 1839, through inspirational approaches – based first on religion and later on psychology – to the critical approach of R S Peters and his colleagues in the 1960s. It then looks at the existential crisis faced by this kind of philosophy of education after changes in education policy in the 1980s; and at ways it has found of overcoming it – at the expense, however, of partially turning away from its earlier raison d’être in teacher education. The paper concludes with a discussion of what would be needed for it to resume its old role.     

英、法教师专业化历程的解读及其启示

教师专业化的过程是一个在特定社会、文化和历史脉络中社会建构的过程。英国资产阶级的需要推动了教学职业的专业化,也为教师自治组织的发展提供了空间;法国的教师专业化过程则是教育体制纳入国家科层的过程,国家控制了教师的培训机构、内容以及教师组织。这两种不同的社会现实的构建是两国不同脉络下不同利益群体之间互动的产物。文章认为追求教师专业化应充分考虑本国已有的社会脉络和教育文化传统,也应注重教师和其他利益相关者之间的沟通,倾听不同的声音。