Underachievement at GCSE level has significant effects on an individual's life chances. Each year, around half of 16-year-olds leave school without having achieved a full level-2 qualification (five GCSEs at A*-C including English and maths). Many of these students enrol on a programme of study at local further education (FE) colleges. Recent…

This paper draws on data collected from a series of semi-structured interviews with head teachers and other stakeholders on the impact and effectiveness of the introduction of a Primary School Improvement Group (PSIG) by the Local Authority (LA). The PSIG was introduced as a response to concerns expressed by the Department of Education about the…

This article offers three case studies of teachers who have been specially prepared to serve diverse students and examines their interpretations and instantiations of No Child Left Behind (NCLB)-driven language arts reform in "underperforming" schools, largely composed of Spanish-speaking English Learners (ELs). Drawing on literature…

This article examines recent claims by Jeffrey Smith that: (1) "hegemonic masculinity" is an expression of working class counter-school culture; (2) some teachers are "cultural accomplices" in constructing "hegemonic masculinities" of anti-school working class boys, thereby contributing to their underachievement; and (3) these "cultural…

One of the hottest topics in high-school reform is the movement to align high schools' graduation requirements with the requirements for college entrance, and to make sure that any graduate who enters college is ready for success. Advocates seem to believe that the answers to public-school reform and economic competitiveness can be found by…