ABSTRACT
Discovering what does not work in overcoming disadvantage in education can be just as important as identifying what does work, in order to be able to make well-founded judgements about the difference between the two. That is what this book has done. Along the way, some approaches and techniques lauded by others have been shown not to work, meaning that the opportunity costs and likely damage caused by such approaches should cease. Some ideas have shown promise, and need to be developed further by ethical rigorous programmes of design and evaluation. Some approaches might work, are desirable in their own right and would be so cheap and easy to implement that they are a reproach to any society that does not do them. Finally, a small number of very promising interventions have survived critical scrutiny. This chapter sorts out which is which, and thus points to the way forward for research, education systems and wider society. It deals first with some suggestions for research.
