This paper examines the challenges facing research on nurture groups and on the wider field of nurture in education. A four-level model is proposed based on severity of need, ranging from universal applications in nurturing schools and communities, through to addressing the needs of children and young people whose needs are so great that a nurture…

In this paper, we survey the UK-based literature on school structures and school autonomy to identify settings in which alternative and more autonomous school arrangements can improve the educational attainments of pupils in the bottom tail of the achievement distribution. We also present new evidence on the effect of school academies on the…

In recent years, UK universities have become increasingly concerned with performance management. This trend reflects both growing competition and marketisation within higher education, and the increasing requirements for accountability. In response, institutions have begun to explore the application of formal methodologies for performance…

While there has been a tradition of all-age schooling within the private sector it has not, until recently, been typical in state schools. However, there appears to be a growing trend in which all-age schools, i.e. schools that comprise multiple phases (usually primary and secondary) are becoming more popular. This article summarises the main…

Realists recognize reorganizations for what they are: opportunities to do things better--to change business as usual to reflect best practices, new tools and technologies, and current challenges in the marketplace. At educational institutions, perhaps no area is as sensitive to those shifts as communications and marketing offices. The advances in…

The concept of City Academies owes much to the plan for a network of City Technology Colleges announced by Conservative Education Secretary Kenneth Baker in 1986. This article argues that all this can be viewed as part of the inroad of business into state education, with private sponsorship seen by government as the magical solution to the…

Both in the United States and the United Kingdom there has been a recent resurgence of interest and support for "new localism" in response to the need to provide local solutions to national complex problems. In this paper, the authors begin by exploring the contextual framework in the U.S. and the UK, explaining recent policy reform and…

This article investigates the impact of different school models (middle school, K-8, and the UK secondary) on young adolescents' perceptions of their school climates. In particular, it analyzes the importance of people and place in the positive and negative attitudes that middle-level students develop about their schools. Based on mixed-method…

Argues that complex educational change is relatively unmanageable. Draws on research on reorganization of schools to identify sources of ambiguity in the change process. Identifies characteristics of reorganization complexity and offers tentative practical themes for managing complex educational change. Offers an agenda for future research,…

In comparing and contrasting the year (horizontal) and house (vertical) systems of pastoral (guidance) organization and management in British secondary schools, this article examines a model combining pastoral and academic concerns by establishing a vertical system. This system is proposed as the most effective way to integrate these two concerns.…

Describes the background of schemes to rationalize earth science departments in the United Kingdom. Discusses the rationale of these schemes and the controversy they have caused in the academic community. (CW)

The five papers compiled in this report discuss several distinctive components of the National Development Center for School Management Training (NDC), particularly research and development work on school leadership, management development, and training. Titles and authors of the papers are as follows: (1) "The Role of a National Agency for…

Develops conceptual framework to explore the impact of teacher-led development work, defined as strategic action initiated and sustained by teachers to improve instruction and student learning. Discusses impact of the framework on teachers, on the school as an organization, and on student learning. Includes evidence of impact and applications for…

Presents results of a survey of library and information studies (LIS) departments in the United Kingdom that investigated computer methods currently in use in the teaching of LIS courses. Highlights include the Computers in Teaching Initiative (CTI), where LIS departments fit within academic institutions, and the software used. (16 references)…