ABSTRACT

As countries seek to develop their education systems, achieving sustainable improvements amongst students from disadvantaged backgrounds remains a major challenge. This has considerable implications for those in the research community as they seek to influence developments in the field.

Drawing on the authors’ extensive experiences as researchers, policy advisers and influencers, Changing Education Systems offers key insights on how to promote equity within education systems. Exploring three large-scale national reform programmes, the book:

  • Presents a series of propositions that are the basis of a research-based approach to system change
  • Explains the creation of relationships in which academic researchers collaborate in the process of development
  • Considers smaller place-based projects that are set within policy contexts dominated by the idea of market forces as a strategy for improvement
  • Explores the steps needed to overcome locally specific barriers

Changing Education Systems is a must-read for policy-makers and practitioners involved in educational reforms, as well as researchers wishing to contribute to and learn from such developments.

chapter 1|14 pages

Changing Education Systems

chapter 2|27 pages

City Challenge in England

Drawing the Lessons

chapter 3|28 pages

Schools Challenge Cymru

A catalyst for change

chapter 4|21 pages

Developing a Regional Self-Improving School System

Collaboration, competition and transition

chapter 5|21 pages

The Scottish Attainment Challenge

Addressing poverty-related outcomes

chapter 6|24 pages

New Challenges

Managing change in an educational marketplace

chapter 7|26 pages

Addressing Barriers to Change

chapter 8|8 pages

A Research-based Approach