Education discourse has recently turned toward resilience and grit. This article critiques the neoliberalism embedded in resilience education and the manner in which a resilience focus encourages docility, adaptation and vulnerability in youth in response to oppressive conditions rather than addressing oppression directly. As a site of resilience…

In previous studies, the effects of physically active academic lessons on academic achievement have been shown. Less is known about follow-up effects and the effects for disadvantaged groups. The first aim of this study was to examine 7-9 months follow-up effects of a physically active academic intervention on academic achievement. The second aim…

Although the South African government has made numerous strides in addressing equity and social justice in education, significant inequalities still exist in learner performance, especially in many impoverished schools. One of the reasons cited for poor learner achievement is the ineffective leadership role of school management teams (SMTs). This…

This article analyses research literature and policy texts to investigate the extent to which culturally responsive education policies can improve Maori achievement in schools. It presents a snapshot of current levels of Maori inequity, which is followed by an account of the history of Maori education policy to illustrate the origins of the…

The transformative research lens incorporates ideas such as consciously addressing power differences with strategies that allow for the inclusion of the voices of the full range of stakeholders, including those who are most marginalized. The goal of transformative research is to support the development of culturally responsive interventions that…

Siyavula is known as a pioneer developer of high-quality free digital maths and science textbooks to address resource gaps and disadvantage in South African schools. This case study identifies the success factors which could be replicated in other contexts. Siyavula has developed expertise in digital developing, editing and improving maths and…

Many school practitioners think of poverty as a kind of "culture," characterized by dysfunctional behaviors that can only be corrected by imposing harsh discipline on students. Further, beliefs about poverty are often used to justify racial disparities in disciplinary referrals, achievement, and enrollment in gifted, AP, and honors…

With concern to critical pedagogy, the concept of love is fairly frequently (ab)used, yet under-theorized. In this exploratory study, I ask: How does a critical pedagogy of love--or critical pedagogical love--"look," "sound," and "feel?" Regarding feeling, how does a critical pedagogue engage the sensations of…

This paper presents the results of a European study investigating the extent to which the Dynamic Approach to School Improvement (DASI) can help schools situated in socially disadvantaged areas to improve their effectiveness. At the beginning of the school year 2015-2016, a sample of 72 primary schools in four European countries (Cyprus, England,…

The complexity of practicum in initial teacher education, in terms of the range of diverse social relations and differing school contexts, provides a challenge for teacher educators worldwide, aiming to guide and shape opportunities for student teachers learning to teach. This challenge is further compounded by societal problems linked to child…

Background: Exposure to nature may be particularly beneficial for the brain regions that support spatial working memory, a strong correlate of academic achievement. Aims: To explore whether children living in greener neighbourhoods (wards) have better spatial working memory. Sample: Drawn from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study, the sample was 4,758…

While the importance of academic language and literacies in students' meaningful participation in higher education has been well-explored, studies have focused on writing rather than reading. There has been a significant silence in the literature around what constitutes reading in higher education, the sociocultural complexities of reader…

This report is the fourth in a series examining the magnitude of the teacher shortage and the working conditions and other factors that contribute to the shortage. The series finds that the teacher shortage is real, large and growing. When indicators of teacher quality (certification, relevant training, experience, etc.) are taken into account,…

This report evaluates the impact of the first year of NewsWise -- a free, cross-curricular news literacy programme for 9- to 11-year-olds across the UK, developed by the Guardian Foundation, the National Literacy Trust and the PSHE Association, and funded by Google. NewsWise aims to empower children from disadvantaged communities with the skills…

This concurrent multi-phase mixed methods study investigated whether indicators of Social Cognitive Theory could be observed in Grades 3-5 classrooms and if these indicators could be used to describe teacher effectiveness in high poverty schools. The conceptual framework drew upon Bandura's (1997) measurement of the individual self-efficacy of…