In Italy, the National Evaluation System (SNV), encompassing both internal and external accountability components, is designed not only to hold school actors accountable but also to stimulate innovation and change in pedagogical practices. Nevertheless, existing literature presents inconclusive and contradictory findings regarding the effects and…

Education researchers continue to cite Bernstein's 'Education cannot compensate for society', while Bernstein's own focus on 'in-school processes' was echoed by Michael Gove's insistence that there are 'no excuses' for low working-class achievement in schools. Bernstein's ideas illuminate the relationship, within education policy, of…

This paper is based on a qualitative study about middle-class mothers' experiences of school choice in Chile. It draws on Butler, Berlant and Hardt's work on affects, and on feminist contributions to the intersection between school choice, social class and mothering. These contributions help us deepen our understanding of school choice as both a…

Social class differences in educational decision-making form an important explanation for persisting educational inequalities, particularly in choice-driven systems with early tracking. Nevertheless, little is known about the process preceding these choices, especially when school and track choice are interrelated. Building on school choice…

Social class and income distribution remain the strongest predictors of both educational achievement and life outcomes. Despite government hopes, education does not generally promote social mobility; children from low income families tend to have lower attainment than their more affluent peers when they begin school, and the gap widens as they…

Examined the strengths and needs of working- and middle-class African-American and European-American grandmothers. Surveys revealed that African-American grandmothers perceived themselves as significantly more involved in teaching their grandchildren and more likely to need information about various aspects of their grandchildren's lives.…

Use of computers for instruction in public schools in New York City is compared with that in public schools in suburban Westchester County. Survey responses from 90 city and 46 suburban schools emphasize hardware availability, the nature of instructional software, and perceived problems/progress in integrating computers into the curriculum. (SLD)

The English educational system is still being organized along social-class lines. Working classes have historically been "found out" in education--discovered to be inferior and less cultured and clever than middle classes. Findings from studies on higher education choice, secondary school transitions, and primary assessments underline…

For 2 decades, policymakers have pretended that bureaucratic, state-imposed standards, testing, and sanctions will fundamentally raise all schoolchildren's academic achievement and create productive citizens. The losers have been children of the poor, working class, and undereducated. Policymakers are holding schools and children accountable for…

Associations of self-reported self-efficacy (masculinity) and relationality (femininity) are studied for 799 high school students (412 females and 387 males) and 607 fourth graders (300 females and 307 males), 52 of whom are studied again in grade 12. As children move into adolescence, relationality is no longer associated with self-esteem. (SLD)