ABSTRACT
Even if on the evidence from the detailed variability we can be more optimistic about the degree to which schools can make a difference, there are problems to confront and solve. The next chapters deal with these problems. These are problems on the ground; that is, problems facing schools and teachers’ practices. They are about what schools and teachers need to solve in order to be as effective as possible, given circumstances under which schools exist. As I have noted already, these include the policy environment for funding and hiring teachers, and the layers and conditions of social and economic inequality. The question sitting behind each chapter is how solvable are these challenges without changing existing conditions outside of schools first?
