This article argues that contradictory forces affect teachers' work in the neo-liberal school system in England, with a diversity of governance models alongside increasingly dominant orthodoxies of what constitutes 'effective practice and leadership'. School reforms in England have focused on increasing overall attainment and on closing the…

Suggests that the terms and methods used for research on cultural disadvantage rest upon shaky foundations and lead to the false conclusion that schools can do little or nothing to outweigh the disadvantages of a poor, culturally deprived home environment. [Available from Publications Branch, Education Department of Victoria, 234 Queensberry…

One of the best ways to avoid being poor as an adult is to obtain a good education. Individuals with higher academic achievement and more years of schooling earn more than those with lower levels of human capital. This is not surprising given that we believe that schooling makes people more productive, allowing them to command higher wages in the…