ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book focuses on a positive way in which peer interactions and academic aspects are interconnected. The importance of children's social lives has been a central focus and what we think is unique about the discussion of children in schools. The book presents a contextual approach, and a number of ways in which contextual factors are important in understanding peer relations in school. It shows that teachers are an important component underpinning classroom teaching and organization and one main way in which differences and inequalities between pupils can become magnified or appropriately handled. The case of breaktime activities is a good example of educational policy not being guided by data. The current practice, at least in many American schools, of implementing 'character education programs' seems to miss the point.
