EdBlogs

A new guide from US-based Mathematica Policy Research's Center for Improving Research Evidence, explains to educators how to tell which type of research evidence supports claims about effectiveness, ordering them from the weakest (anecdotal) to the strongest (causal). The guide gives examples of common sources for each type of evidence, such as mar...

Throughout my 30 years in education – starting as a classroom teacher and ending as a headteacher – I worked hard: six days a week (and very occasionally, when a head, seven). I was committed and conscientious, I enjoyed my job and found it rewarding. The rewards and sources of satisfaction have continued since I left headship. Earlier this year, I...

Where does he work? Heckman is an American economist currently working at the University of Chicago as the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, professor of law at the Law School, and director of the Center for the Economics of Human Development. He is also a senior research fellow at the American Bar Foundation, and a resear...

Any discussion among teachers about good practice will get around, at some point, to learning outcomes. Conversation will often turn to Bloom's Taxonomy and the attendant verbs connected to the "lower" and "higher" order "thinking skills". And then someone will raise the idea of SMART targets, which, in conjunction with Bloom's, enable us to develo...

What is it?  The use of rewards given to pupils who have not missed many days of school (often 98-100% attendance). The nature of these gifts varies from school to school; for some it is a certificate, while many other schools opt for pricier prizes such as iPads, bicycles and trips. Earlier this month, writer and mother Rachel Wright's b...