EdBlogs

Welcome to EdBlogs, where you'll find education insights, analysis and stories from the frontline. If you've got a story to tell, send it over to ed@edcentral.uk and if we think it's relevant to our network we'll publish it :-)

An introduction to the economics of school choice

Spurred by perceived inefficiencies in centralised education systems, school choice has in the past decades gone from a mostly fringe academic theory to a mainstream policy option worldwide. The idea is that the expansion of choice – through, for example, open enrolment and private-school vouchers – will increase market incentives in the school sys...
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How do you know which educational research to trust? Here are the questions to ask

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 ...
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A practical approach to tackling pupil absences

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...
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Five scientifically-proven reasons why school leaders need strong teams

By Bradley Busch and Alex Lucas  "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." This old African proverb – often associated with Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore after he tweeted it in reference to climate change – will ring true for any school leader trying to steer their school towards success. The senior leadership ...
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Take it from an IT manager, schools are being flogged tech that they don't need

I get an average of 15 people a week phoning me up to sell me something. I'm an IT manager, so in many ways it is no surprise: from salespeople and trainers, to course organisers and seminar sellers – you name it, they have something my school couldn't function without. They often use underhand tactics to get through reception, my favourites being:...
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