EdBlogs

With the new year underway, you might find your resolutions being put to the test. You're tired and the gym is busy; the weather is awful and a huge bowl of pasta would cheer you up; you can't even think about retiring so why bother with savings? People love to set goals, but there can be such a big gap between intention and action that resolutions...

It's not often that an education policy inspires unison in the sector, but the government's proposal to re-introduce grammar schools seemed to do just that, bringing the vast majority of education professionals together to say what a terrible idea it was. "The aims are entirely honourable," says Patrick Watson, a policy analyst and communicati...

I have previously drawn attention to differences in expert opinion over the usefulness of statistical significance testing, particularly in regard to randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Now it's time to look at what can go wrong with RCTs, and the questions you need to ask when judging the trustworthiness of the associated research findings. What ...

Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, PhD student at LSE and Political Science and Director of Research, Centre for the Study of Market Reform in Education (CMRE), shares his thoughts on one of the most talked about issues in education. 'The London Challenge' a policy designed to create a "step change" in the performance of London secondary schools.  An im...

Talking at a number of conferences recently I've suggested that we've got to stop reinventing the wheel and use research wisely. Research provides signposts towards what might work for us, based on what has worked elsewhere and to what extent. The following suggestion, improving attendance by using simple letters home with key information,&nbs...