ABSTRACT
Understanding the purposes of schools and their role in society challenges all who are engaged in education, whether they work in schools, universities or national or local government. Certain dilemmas seem to occur more often than others, perhaps because they are particularly important to current educational debates, but also because they are especially problematic so that straightforward solutions are unlikely and unhelpful. This book sets out to address three such contemporary concerns and to explore the relationship between them. These are: (i) the concept of achievement, (ii) meanings of inclusion and (iii) the use of evidence to inform educational policies and practices. We have chosen these themes because of our observation that some schools continue to resist pressures to become more inclusive because they are concerned that doing so will have a negative effect on the academic achievement of their students and/or lower overall standards. This book presents a critical examination of available evidence and offers guidance to those who wish to undertake research on this complex topic.
