Former Secretary of State for Education Kenneth Baker claims that secondary education has become a five-year programme with a single, narrow aim: to prepare pupils for high-stakes GCSE exams at 16. From 2015, all young people will be legally required to stay in education or training until they are 18. Kenneth Baker sees this as a historic opportunity to re-think the aims and structure of English education. He argues that the National Curriculum should extend only to the age of 14 and that there should be four distinct pathways from 14-18 to take account of young people's emerging interests talents and ambitions: Liberal Arts; Technical; Sports and Creative Arts; and Career. All pathways will provide a broad education, but each will have a distinctive character matched to the talents and ambitions of individual students. In 14-18 - A New Vision for Secondary Education, Kenneth Baker builds a compelling case for reform, with contributions from a range of educationalists who draw on the history of English education, practice elsewhere in the world, and their experiences. An essential read for anyone interested in the future of secondary education.

What are the effects of decreasing social mobility? How does education help - and hinder - us in improving our life chances? Why are so many of us stuck on the same social rung as our parents? Apart from the USA, Britain has the lowest social mobility in the Western world. The lack of movement in who gets where in society - particularly when people are stuck at the bottom and the top - costs the nation dear, both in terms of the unfulfilled talents of those left behind and an increasingly detached elite, disinterested in improvements that benefit the rest of society. This book analyses cutting-edge research into how social mobility has changed in Britain over the years, the shifting role of schools and universities in creating a fairer future, and the key to what makes some countries and regions so much richer in opportunities, bringing a clearer understanding of what works and how we can better shape our future.

Academies and Free Schools in England argues that there is a high degree of philosophical consensus and historical continuity on the policy of ‘academisation’ across the main political parties in England. It attempts to make sense of what are all essentially free schools by interviewing the architects of policy and their closest advisors, analysing the extent to which they invoke historical expressions of conservatism and/or liberalism in their articulation of that convergence. The book offers a unique insight into educational policy-making during the Conservative/Liberal-Democrat coalition era (2010-2015), and an in-depth analysis of the nature of liberty as it relates to state education in England. Providing original interview transcripts of the key reformers, and new accounts of a sometimes contentious history, Hilton identifies an elite ‘policy community’, connected by educational background, moral-religious frameworks, life experiences and shared networks of common ideology. Academies and Free Schools in England will be vital reading to academics and researchers in the field of education and education policy. It will also be of great interest to school governors, business leaders, political philosophers and those involved and interested in free schools.

Building on best-selling texts over three decades, this thoroughly revised new edition is essential reading for both primary and secondary school teachers in training and in practice, supporting both initial school-based training and extended career-long professionalism. Considering a wide range of professionally relevant topics, Reflective Teaching in Schools presents key issues and research insights, suggests activities for classroom enquiry and offers guidance on key readings. Uniquely, two levels of support are offered: · practical, evidence-based guidance on key classroom issues – including relationships, behaviour, curriculum planning, teaching strategies and assessment processes; · routes to deeper forms of expertise, including evidence-informed 'principles' and 'concepts' to support in-depth understanding of teacher expertise. Andrew Pollard, former Director of the UK's Teaching and Learning Research Programme, led development of the book, with support from primary and secondary specialists from the University of Cambridge, UK. Reflective Teaching in Schools is part of a fully integrated set of resources for primary and secondary education. Readings for Reflective Teaching in Schools directly complements and extends the chapters in this book. Providing a compact and portable library, it is particularly helpful in school-based teacher education. The website, reflectiveteaching.co.uk, offers supplementary resources including reflective activities, research briefings, advice on further reading and additional chapters. It also features a glossary, links to useful websites, and a conceptual framework for deepening expertise. This book is one of the Reflective Teaching Series – inspiring education through innovation in early years, schools, further, higher and adult education.

Designed to help educators address science-related social issues, this publication considers: (1) major challenges associated with science-related social issues; (2) the extent to which these challenges are being met; (3) ways in which educators can improve the education of citizens in science, technology, and social issues; and (4) promising practices that can contribute to building connections between social studies and science curricula. Three challenges outlined in the first of five sections include: (1) informing citizens about complex social issues and decisions, (2) connecting diverse fields of knowledge in school curricula, and (3) resisting antagonists of science and technology. In order to determine the extent to which these challenges are currently being met, the second section examines: goal statements in curriculum reports and major reports in the social studies and the sciences; research findings on student knowledge and attitudes regarding science, technology, and society; and analyses of current curricula and textbooks. The third section describes ways in which "integrative threads" can be used to provide common learning experiences within and between distinct courses in the social studies and sciences. The fourth section presents promising practices that can contribute to this building of connections between social studies and science curricula; the use of "decision trees" and case studies, the use of role play and simulation, and the use of instructional television and microcomputers. Concluding observations in the final section and a bibliography listing over 170 publications conclude the document. (LH)

Indexes the Times, Sunday times and magazine, Times literary supplement, Times educational supplement, Times educational supplement Scotland, and the Times higher education supplement.