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Connecticut's public K-12 education system relies heavily on local funding, resulting in substantial disparities between affluent districts and low-income districts with a large proportion of socioeconomically disadvantaged students who are more costly to educate. Despite recent improvements, the existing state aid formula has been criticized for failing to provide sufficient funding to districts with the fewest resources and the highest education costs. To help improve state aid distribution, this report estimates a "cost-capacity gap," which measures the difference between a district's education cost and revenue capacity and uses it as an indicator of the district's need for state education aid. The analysis shows large disparities in the cost-capacity gap across the state. While districts with larger gaps, on average, receive more per-pupil state aid under the current formula compared with smaller-gap districts, the largest-gap districts still receive less aid than they need to close their cost-capacity gaps. As a result, inequity and inadequacy remain in the state's education finance system. To improve the state aid distribution, this report introduces five gap-based formulas. The policy simulations show that by using these gap-based formulas instead of the existing formula the state can target education aid more effectively to school districts with greater need for financial assistance.

Based on research conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), Ambition School Leadership (formerly The Future Leaders Trust) and the National Governors' Association called: "Executive headteachers: What's in a name?," this brief guide provides a summary of the executive headteacher (EHT) role, with practical questions and exemplar role descriptors to consider when creating the position. The findings of the research have been re-purposed by education expert Andy Buck to help leadership teams when they are considering EHT roles and associated structures. The resource comprises three parts: (1) An overview of the EHT role suitable for anyone working in the sector; (2) Practical questions to be discussed by all parties involved in establishing an EHT role; and (3) Exemplar job descriptors for an EHT role. [For related reports, see ED574408, ED574411, ED574412, ED574414, and ED574415.]

This Case Study Compendium provides an overview of the 12 cases that were investigated as part of the study "Executive Headteachers: What's in a Name?'" (Lord et al., 2016). The case study overviews are based on in-depth analysis and research as described in the full report (ibid) and the Technical Appendix (Harland and Bernardinelli, 2016). All examples have been simplified in order to provide a compendium of comparable cases and to highlight the distinctive features where relevant. For each case, brief information about the "setting" (primary, secondary, all-through or special school) is provided. Next, the "strategic purpose" of the executive headteacher (EHT) role, based on an analysis of the rationale for EHT posts is identified. The "role focus" of each case is also highlighted, based on the four distinct roles identified during the research as being features that distinguish the EHT role from that of traditional headteacher (HT). Each case study also lists up to five of the most common qualifications that EHTs hold, and includes a short note on an effective feature that may be replicable for others. Each case includes a diagram of the governance and accountability structure associated with the EHT post. These diagrams are based on the research team's interpretation of the case following in-depth interviews with the EHT, head of school (HoS) and governors. Each diagram highlights the key staff that the EHT manages and the structure that they sit within. [This report was co-published by The Future Leaders Trust. For the full report, see ED574411. For the Technical Appendix, see ED574412. For the Review of Literature, see ED574415. For the Executive Summary, see ED574408.]

Executive headteachers (EHTs) are becoming increasingly prevalent as the self-improving school system matures; there are over 620 EHTs in the school workforce today; and the number recorded in the School Workforce Census (SWC) has increased by 240 per cent between 2010 and 2014. The role is still evolving locally and nationally and, as EHTs take responsibility for ever more schools in England, their role will be crucial to the effectiveness of multi-school groupings in the self-improving school system. This study adds clarity to the evidence on the role and responsibilities of EHTs, the structural arrangements in which they work, and the skills and experience they need. It is based on a review of 15 HT and 15 EHT application packs, secondary analysis of the SWC, and 12 in-depth case studies with EHTs and their colleagues. It is a collaboration between the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), the National Governors' Association (NGA) and The Future Leaders Trust (TFLT). This full report of findings includes key messages and recommendations for policy and practice, explains why executive headteachers (EHTs) matter, describes the distinctive characteristics and distribution of EHTs, discusses the circumstances under which schools appoint an EHT, and outlines the facilitating factors, challenges, and development of the EHT role. [This report was co-published by The Future Leaders Trust. For the executive summary, see ED574408. For the Technical Appendix, see ED574412. For the Review of Literature, see ED574415. For the Case Study Compendium, see ED574414.]

This literature review aims to encapsulate existing research on the executive headteacher (EHT) position in England, building on the work of Fellows (2016). It covers three main areas: the history of EHTs in England; the skills, qualities and motivations identified in EHTs by existing literature; and the governance and school structures associated with EHTs. The review also aims to place the English EHT in an international context by identifying similar executive leadership positions in decentralised and semi-decentralised education systems in other countries. An appendix provides the literature review methodology. [This report was co-published by The Future Leaders Trust. For the full report, see ED574411. For the Technical Appendix, see ED574412. For the Case Study Compendium, see ED574414. For the Executive Summary, see ED574408.]

This document is a technical appendix to the report "Executive Headteachers: What's in a Name? A Full Report of the Findings." It provides a detailed account of the methodology used to obtain the data on which the report is based. The research explored the prevalence and nature of the executive headteacher role, in order to inform policy and practice implications for organisations involved with leadership development, school governing boards and those appointing to the role, and the wider school landscape agenda. Research questions included: (1) What are the characteristics and distribution of executive headteachers (from here on referred to as EHTs), as compared with the profile of other headteachers (from here on referred to as HTs)? (2) What are the distinguishing features of the EHT role and implications for development, compared with "traditional" headship? and (3) What are the distinctive aspects of appointing to the EHT role as compared with traditional headship? In order to explore these research questions, the study involved the following strands of methodology: (1) Strand A: a thematic review of HT application packs (15) and EHT application packs (15); (2) Strand B: secondary analysis of School Workforce Census (SWC) data supplemented with data from Edubase; and (3) Strand C: 12 in-depth case studies with a total of 33 interviews (encompassing 12 EHTs, 10 governors or similar role, and 11 heads of school (HoS) or similar role). Each of the three strands of methodology is discussed in turn; exploring the specific aims, sampling strategy, sample characteristics and analysis conducted. A final section describes how the three strands of data were brought together for the final report. [This appendix was co-published by The Future Leaders Trust. For the full report, see ED574411. For the Executive Summary, see ED574408. For the Review of Literature, see ED574415. For the Case Study Compendium, see ED574414.]

Executive headteachers (EHTs) are becoming increasingly prevalent as the self-improving school system matures; there are over 620 EHTs in the school workforce today; and the number recorded in the School Workforce Census (SWC) has increased by 240 per cent between 2010 and 2014. The role is still evolving locally and nationally and, as EHTs take responsibility for ever more schools in England, their role will be crucial to the effectiveness of multi-school groupings in the self-improving school system. This study adds clarity to the evidence on the role and responsibilities of EHTs, the structural arrangements in which they work, and the skills and experience they need. It is based on a review of 15 HT and 15 EHT application packs, secondary analysis of the SWC, and 12 in-depth case studies with EHTs and their colleagues. It is a collaboration between the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), the National Governors' Association (NGA) and The Future Leaders Trust (TFLT). This executive summary highlights the key messages and recommendations from the study. [This report was co-published by The Future Leaders Trust. For the full report, see ED574411. For the Technical Appendix, see ED574412. For the Review of Literature, see ED574415. For the Case Study Compendium, see ED574414.]

With college and career readiness driving K-12 education goals in the United States today, states are focusing more acutely on policies to ensure their students are well prepared for postsecondary and professional success. While states may adapt their education policies in pursuit of these goals, a question about implementation at the local level takes center stage: How do school districts interpret and respond to these types of policy changes? New England, known for its history of local control over public education, is a pertinent site to examine the relationship between state policy and local implementation. With a declining school-age population, the region's knowledge-based economy relies upon the retention and attraction of well-educated graduates. In response to these strategic goals, New England states have joined national conversations about college and career readiness, trying to determine the best model for their K-12 education systems. While changes in state policy are a critical first-step for education reform, real change must happen in school districts. It is important to study how local districts respond to, and grapple with, these policy changes in order to better understand the implementation process. States may change policies in pursuit of these visions, but it is the change in practice at the local level that truly impacts student experience and thus plays a major role in the success of the state policies. With this in mind, this report compares state policy with local implementation to identify areas where they align and where they diverge. To do so, the report uses New Hampshire and its drive toward a competency-based education (CBE) system as a guiding case study to illustrate important challenges to, and strategies for, statewide educational transformation.

Do pupils who use Accelerated Reader (AR) think differently about reading, do they enjoy reading more and do they do it more often than pupils who do not use AR? We explore this question using two sources of data. The first utilises data from our 2014 annual literacy survey in which more than 32,000 children and young people aged 8 to 18 participated. 3 in 10 (29.9%; N = 9,551) of participating pupils said that they use AR. The 2014 findings are contextualised by recourse to findings we made in 2012 and 2013. The second source uses data from a longitudinal study we set up in 2011. We followed 1,500 pupils who were aged seven to eight (Year 3) in 2011 until they were aged 10 to 11 (Year 6) in 2014. 37% of these pupils said that they used AR in 2011. All pupils completed our attitudinal survey each year, and each year schools also sent us their attainment data. These data uniquely allow us to compare AR pupils with non-AR children over time on their reading enjoyment, reading behaviour and reading attitudes. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data sets unanimously show that more pupils who use AR enjoy reading, read frequently and think more positively about reading than their peers who do not use AR. Our analyses also show that reading enjoyment is the only variable in a complex interplay of variables that has a strong bi-directional influence, regardless of gender and whether children use AR or not, not only highlights the importance of reading enjoyment as a variable that matters, but also underlines the need to develop effective methods to encourage children and young people to read for enjoyment. We are hopeful that an increased understanding of the relationships between reading enjoyment, attitudes, behaviour and skills will not only help us to strengthen the work carried out across the National Literacy Trust and the sector, but it will also help us to influence education policy and practice to promote the importance of reading for pleasure. Two appendices are included.

This election factsheet highlights the following points: (1) Academies receive their funding directly from the government, rather than through local authorities like other state funded schools; (2) There are two types: converter academies (those previously with "good" or "outstanding" Ofsted grades that have converted to academy status) and sponsored academies (mostly underperforming schools converting to academy status and run by sponsors); (3) Comparing the most recent Ofsted grade of each type of school, converter academies are the most likely to be good and outstanding while sponsored academies are more likely than maintained schools to be graded requires improvement or inadequate. But this is to be expected as converters were high performing, and sponsored low performing, to begin with; and (4) School performance in sponsored secondary academies increased more quickly than in similar schools. The improvement was greatest in schools that had been academies for the longest, implying that the effect of academy status has a gradual impact on improving performance. There's little evidence available which looks at primaries. Types of primary and secondary schools in England including academies by Multi-Academy Trust, open academies, academies in development (March 2015), and academies' Ofsted performance are discussed herein.

This quantitative report presents parents' views of school choice, local accountability, and academy schools. The survey was conducted in December 2014 and January 2015 with a representative sample of 1,005 parents of children aged 5-18 in England. Samples selected included 50% male and 50% female respondents from across England. Other variables sampled included: respondent age, child age, and household income. Subgroup comparisons (e.g., by household income) are only presented where differences are statistically significant (p = 0.05).

This summary reports the findings from two cluster-randomised trials of Drinkaware's school-based In:tuition life skills and alcohol education intervention: one trial of the programme for 10-11 year olds in primary schools, and another for 12-13 year olds in secondary schools. The trials have been carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), funded and overseen by Alcohol Research UK using a grant provided by Drinkaware. Key findings for the primary school trial include: (1) The primary outcome was resistance skills (confidence to manage peer pressure) in 10 and 11 year-olds. There was no evidence of any impact on this primary outcome; (2) There was an indication of an effect of the intervention on increased knowledge (a secondary outcome). On average, primary pupils in the intervention group had slightly better knowledge about alcohol and its effects than those in the control group, although the results were not significant at the 0.05 level (p = 0.07); (3) There was no evidence of impact on other secondary outcomes; and (4) In terms of programme fidelity, of 40 schools randomised into the intervention group, only 15 were known to have delivered at least some of the intervention lessons. Key findings for the secondary school trial include: (1) The primary outcome was the proportion of students aged 12-13 that were drinking frequently. Overall, there was no significant effect on frequency of drinking; (2) In the intervention group, males were more likely and females were less likely to be frequent drinkers compared to their counterparts in the control group at follow up. However, there is insufficient evidence to assert this was a genuine effect of the intervention. There was no evidence of impact on any secondary outcomes; and (3) Of 28 schools randomised into the intervention group, only five were known to have delivered at least some of the intervention lessons; only two secondary schools delivered all or most of the lessons. Key findings from the process evaluation include: (1) Perceived impacts of In:tuition on pupils included: increased knowledge and awareness of alcohol; development of strategies and skills to cope with potential social and emotional situations; and a change in projected future drinking; and (2) Teachers were positive about the programme content and teaching approaches but adapted the programme to take account of the time available and the needs/context of the school.

This research study investigates the notion of "inspiring" teaching through case studies of a purposive sample of 17 primary and secondary school teachers in England. The research was commissioned by CfBT Education Trust as part of a collaborative professional development initiative involving its schools. It arose from headteachers' suggestions that schools nominate a number of "inspiring" teachers so that their practice could be studied and the results shared across the participating schools to promote the professional development of staff and spread good practice through encouraging greater collaboration and learning across the CfBT family of schools. The purposive samples are thus viewed as exemplars of good practice by their schools by showing practice that is seen as "inspiring" for colleagues and students. The first section of this report is divided into two parts. The first contextualises the work in relevant literature, exploring gaps and definitions in the existing body of knowledge about inspiring teaching, and connecting the contribution of this study to these issues. The second outlines the aims and methods that guided the research. The findings reported in this document provide new evidence and insights about what inspiring teachers do (through observations), what they think (through interviews), and how their students think about their teachers and lessons (through questionnaires). The use of multiple observation instruments begins to address the gap outlined at the end of the previous section by providing measures of what inspiring teaching might "look like", i.e. what teachers do and what happens in their classrooms. The research had two complementary components--an investigation led by practitioners and another led by a team of academics from the Department of Education at the University of Oxford and the Institute of Education at the University of Worcester. Each study adopted different methods and a different approach to investigating what it is to be an inspiring teacher. This report presents a description of inspiring teachers--drawing exclusively on the academic study which focused on a sub-sample of 17 of the original 36 teachers. A complementary summary report based on both phases of the research is also available. [The University of Worcester contributed to this research project. For "Inspiring Teachers: Perspectives and Practices. Summary Report," see ED546803.]

This study investigates the notion of "inspiring" teaching. The research was commissioned by CfBT as part of a collaborative professional development initiative involving its schools. It arose from headteachers' suggestions that schools nominate a number of "inspiring" teachers so that their practice could be studied and the results shared across the participating schools to promote the professional development of staff, and spread good practice through encouraging greater collaboration and learning across the CfBT family of schools. The main aim of the research was to provide robust new evidence about both inspiring teachers and inspiring teaching from different perspectives to increase understanding of these widely used but elusive and often poorly defined concepts. The findings reported in this document provide new evidence and insights about what inspiring teachers do (through observations), what they think (through interviews), and how their students think about their teachers and lessons (through questionnaires). The research had two complementary components--an investigation led by practitioners and another led by a team of academics from the Department of Education at the University of Oxford and the Institute of Education at the University of Worcester. Each study adopted different methods and a different approach to investigating what it is to be an inspiring teacher. This report presents a description of inspiring teachers that draws on the findings from both of these studies. A complementary fuller report, based predominantly on the academic study, is also available. This report is a shorter account of the findings from both studies. [The University of Worcester contributed to this research project. For the full report: "Inspiring Teachers: Perspectives and Practices," see ED546804.]

The interaction between deprivation and education is a critical relationship with profound implications for a country's economic prosperity and the social mobility of its citizens. This is highlighted by the Welsh Government which states that: "A good education is critical to better life chances and a commitment to achieving this has been an important part of the culture of modern Wales since devolution." Because of this the Welsh Government commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to carry out a research study to replicate research undertaken for a report on deprivation and education published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (2009). The study aims to provide an analysis which replicates the data tables presented in the DCSF report with data relevant to Wales and additional tables and charts specific to the Welsh context. Further analysis looked at the progression between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 and provided a descriptive commentary identifying the content of the tables and the differences contained within them. Key Findings from the report reveal: (1) Pupils eligible for FSM are more likely to be absent from school than non-FSM pupils. In secondary schools the absence rate of FSM pupils is around double that of non-FSM pupils between Years 8 and 11; (2) Pupils eligible for FSM have, on average, lower attainment than other pupils throughout their progression in the education system in Wales. The gap in attainment identified at Foundation Phase remains at the end of Key Stage 2 and the gap widens further in secondary education; and (3) The attainment gap at GCSE has decreased over time but the attainment of FSM pupils at GCSE remains comparatively low.

The Language Trends survey 2013/4 is the 12th in a series of annual research exercises charting the health of language teaching and learning in English schools. The findings are based on an online survey completed by teachers in a large sample of secondary schools across the country from both the state and independent sectors. In 2012, and again in 2013 following the announcement that language teaching at Key Stage 2 would become statutory for all pupils in September 2014, a national sample of primary schools has been included in the survey to enable the impact of the new policy on teachers and pupils to be tracked in detail. This report focuses on particular issues of concern arising from the current policy context. "Language Trends Survey 2013--Profiles of Responses" is appended. [For "Language Trends 2013/14: The State of Language Learning in Primary and Secondary Schools in England. Executive Summary," see ED546798.]

The Language Trends survey 2013/4 is the 12th in a series of annual research exercises charting the health of language teaching and learning in English schools. The findings are based on an online survey completed by teachers in a large sample of secondary schools across the country from both the state and independent sectors. In 2012, and again in 2013 following the announcement that language teaching at Key Stage 2 would become statutory for all pupils in September 2014, a national sample of primary schools has been included in the survey to enable the impact of the new policy on teachers and pupils to be tracked in detail. This report focuses on particular issues of concern arising from the current policy context. [For the full report: "Language Trends 2013/14: The State of Language Learning in Primary and Secondary Schools in England," see ED546800.]

This report outlines findings about children's and young people's reading from our fourth annual literacy survey conducted in November/December 2013. 29,422 young people aged eight to 16 participated. Some of the key findings for 2013 include: (1) Levels of reading enjoyment have improved for the first time since 2005 (see Figure 2, p. 9); (2) 32.2% of young people read outside class every day, with another 28.3% reading a few times a week. However, a fifth of young people (20.2%) say that they rarely or never read outside class (see Table 8, p. 31); (3) Technology-based formats such as text messages (70.3%), websites (54.5%) and magazines (52.7%) are most commonly read outside class at least once a month (see Table 7 , pp. 28); (4) 6 in 10 children and young people (60.4%) say that they have a favourite book or story. Figure 1 highlights some of the most frequently named stories or books that children and young people in 2013; (5) Many young people think positively about reading (see Tables 13.1 to 13.10, pp. 40). 82.5% agree that "the more I read, the better I become", and 39.0% agree that "reading is cool"; (6) Young people who enjoy reading very much are nearly four times as likely to read above the level expected for their age compared with young people who do not enjoy reading at all; (7) The gap between boys and girls in terms of their enjoyment of reading continues to narrow; (8) Enjoyment of reading has increased slightly across all three key stages. The biggest increase was seen in KS3 pupils (aged 11 to 14), where levels of enjoyment increased by 4 percentage points from 45.5% to 49.5%; (9) Enjoyment levels have increased in both KS2 and KS4 boys in 2013; and (10) The gap in the enjoyment of reading between young people who receive free school meals and those who do not narrowed considerably between 2011 and 2012, decreasing from a 5.5 percentage point difference in 2011 to a 3 percentage point difference in 2012. Appended are: (1) An introduction to the annual literacy survey; (2) Methodology; and (3) Sample characteristics

The idea that schools can impact positively on student outcomes is a crucial driver in the rise of interest in school improvement research and practice. This review focuses on assessment for learning. Assessment for learning (AfL)--where the first priority is to promote learning--is a key means of initiating improvement. This review proposes that in order to encourage AfL, subject departments: (1) have an atmosphere in which teachers are expected to watch others in action--to actively support peer observation; (2) recognise and value current skills and help teachers to identify their current formative practice; (3) have meetings where teachers discuss learning; and (4) give teachers time to plan well by encouraging them to mark less, but mark better. The review concludes by identifying two sets of guidelines for policymaking and practice.

School leaders are under considerable pressure to demonstrate the contribution of their work to school improvement, which has resulted in the creation of a wide range of literature which addresses leadership in the context of school improvement. This review pays particular attention to issues including transformational leadership, instructional/pedagogical leadership and distributed leadership. The evidence examined by this review indicates that effective school leadership is important but, in isolation, is not a sufficient condition for successful schools. The review draws particular attention to two concepts of leadership: instructional/pedagogical and transformational. While there is evidence that instructional/pedagogical leadership has been shown to be important for promoting better academic outcomes for students, it is concluded that the two forms of leadership are not mutually exclusive. A combination of strategies can be most beneficial in ensuring school success and most leadership effects operate indirectly to promote student outcomes by supporting and enhancing conditions for teaching and learning through direct impacts on teachers and their work. School leaders, particularly principals, have a key role to play in setting direction and creating a positive school culture including the proactive school mindset, and supporting and enhancing staff motivation and commitment needed to foster improvement and promote success for schools in challenging circumstances. The challenges facing school leaders include: (1) ensuring consistently good teaching and learning; (2) integrating a sound grasp of basic knowledge and skills within a broad and balanced curriculum; (3) managing behaviour and attendance; (4) strategically managing resources and the environment; (5) building the school as a professional learning community; and (6) developing partnerships beyond the school to encourage parental support for learning and new learning opportunities. The key dimensions of successful leadership are identified as: (1) defining the vision, values and direction; (2) improving conditions for teaching and learning; (3) redesigning the organisation: aligning roles and responsibilities; (4) enhancing teaching and learning; (5) redesigning and enriching the curriculum; (6) enhancing teacher quality (including succession planning); (7) building relationships inside the school community; (8) building relationships outside the school community; and (9) placing an emphasis on common values.

Teachers are one of the key elements in any school and effective teaching is one of the key propellers for school improvement. This review is concerned with how to define a teacher's effectiveness and what makes an effective teacher. It draws out implications for policymakers in education and for improving classroom practice. Teacher effectiveness is generally referred to in terms of a focus on student outcomes and the teacher behaviours and classroom processes that promote better student outcomes. This review, based upon research evidence, suggests that effective teachers: (1) are clear about instructional goals; (2) are knowledgeable about curriculum content and the strategies for teaching it; (3) communicate to their students what is expected of them, and why; (4) make expert use of existing instructional materials in order to devote more time to practices that enrich and clarify the content; (5) are knowledgeable about their students, adapting instruction to their needs and anticipating misconceptions in their existing knowledge; (6) teach students meta-cognitive strategies and give them opportunities to master them; (7) address higher- as well as lower-level cognitive objectives; (8) monitor students' understanding by offering regular appropriate feedback; (9) integrate their instruction with that in other subject areas; and (10) accept responsibility for student outcomes. The review shows that in order to achieve good teaching, good subject knowledge is a prerequisite. Also, the skilful use of well-chosen questions to engage and challenge learners, and to consolidate understanding, is an important feature, as is the effective use of assessment for learning. It goes on to identify a number of characteristics of good schools, suggesting they: (1) establish consistency in teaching and learning across the organisation; (2) engender a culture of professional debate and developmental lesson observation; (3) rigorously monitor and evaluate what they are doing; (4) prioritise the teaching of literacy, especially in a child's early years; and (5) focus on the needs, interests and concerns of each individual learner. [This report was written with Linda Bakkum.]

Transforming Writing is a two-year action research project which aims to develop a model for the teaching and learning of writing that more fully incorporates a focus on embedded formative assessment. In the first year of the project, the 12 participating schools developed a model of writing underpinned by Talk for Writing, an approach developed by Pie Corbett and Julia Strong. This interim report evaluates to what extent the model of writing developed by the teachers during the first year of research impacts on children's writing in terms of attainment, confidence and engagement. The evidence so far suggests that the focused use of formative assessment by teachers with children and by children with peers can make a major difference to children's writing progress in terms of attainment, engagement and confidence. This report identifies some of the successful classroom approaches to embedded formative assessment in writing teachers developed in the first year of the research project. The report suggests that during Transforming Writing research, teachers became evaluators and activators in the sense that Hattie (2012) proposes. Teacher interviews and reflections reveal that teachers were evaluating the effect their teaching had on the children's learning then using the powerful feedback that formative assessment provided to rapidly respond and adjust teaching of writing. Teachers saw their key role as evaluating their effect on children's learning of writing and then responding by implementing deliberate and focused interventions. Appended are: (1) Glossary; (2) Talk for Writing--what is it?; and (3) Table to show connections between the developing practice and findings of participating teachers on the Transforming Writing project in Phase 1 of the research project and the research of John Hattie. (Contains 21 figures and 14 footnotes.) [Funding for this paper was provided by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.]

This report was produced for the 2012 Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers meeting in Mauritius. Its main purpose is to track the historical progress and likelihood of attainment of Education For All and education-specific Millennium Development Goals while also critically reviewing the methods used to track this progress. The analyses is presented by country, by region, and by development-level. (Contains 2 illustrations and 5 tables.) [This document was produced by the Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC) at the University of Hong Kong. The report was commissioned for the 18th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM), held in Mauritius Aug 28-31, 2012, based around the theme "Education in the Commonwealth: Bridging the Gap As We Accelerate towards Achieving Internationally Agreed Goals."]

This report only outlines findings that relate to writing, taken from the author's second annual literacy survey, which she conducted in November/December 2011. Nearly 21,000 young people aged 8 to 16 participated. Writing is an important issue in the UK today. While children's and young people's writing standards had plateaued between 2006 and 2009, levels at KS2 (11-year-olds) had increased slightly in 2010 and have increased again in 2011. However, writing is much more than just an educational issue--it is an essential skill that allows people to participate fully in today's society and to contribute to the economy. Because of the centrality of writing in people's lives, the survey provided the author with areas that she wanted to explore annually. More specifically, it explores how much young people enjoy writing, how good they think they are, how often they write and what types of materials they write, and how they feel about writing. Appended are: (1) An introduction to the National Literacy Trust annual literacy survey; (2) Methodology; and (3) Sample characteristics. (Contains 32 tables, 6 figures and 15 footnotes.) [Funding for this paper was provided by Slaughter and May.]

This research was funded by law firm Slaughter and May and carried out with 21,000 children and young people across the UK. One of its key findings is that children and young people are reading less as their lives get more crowded. In 2005 the researchers found that four young people in 10 read daily outside of class. This research carried out at the end of 2011 found that only three young people in 10 now read daily in their own time. However, the number of children and young people who enjoy reading very much or quite a lot has remained static since 2005 (50% today vs 51% in 2005). These findings together suggest a clear issue with children's and young people's leisure time with many children and young people enjoying reading but pushing it out in favour of other activities. The research found that: (1) More than a fifth of children and young people (22%) rarely or never read in their own time; (2) More than half (54%) prefer watching TV to reading; (3) Nearly a fifth (17%) would be embarrassed if their friends saw them reading; and (4) 77% of children and young people read magazines in 2005 now just 57% do, comic reading has dropped from 64% to 50%, reading on websites from 64% to 50%. The researchers believe it is essential to make the time for children and young people to read as the research also shows a clear link between reading outside of class and their achievement. It found that young people who read outside of class daily were 13 times more likely to read above the expected level for their age. Appended are: (1) An introduction to the annual literacy survey; (2) Methodology: Participation rate; and (3) Sample characteristics. (Contains 15 figures, 42 tables, and 18 footnotes.)

The National Literacy Trust's Young Readers Programme has always worked successfully with schools and libraries in areas of deprivation for over 15 years. The Trust staff have recently started some pilot work with looked-after children both in residential and foster care. As part of this work they undertook some desk-based research to assess the current situation as to looked-after children and literacy, what interventions were already out there and what they could learn from previous projects. The National Literacy Trust is seeking to adapt the programme for residential units and adapt the model for families to best meet the needs of looked-after children in foster care and carers. This programme already encourages links with the local library.

Parents play a pivotal role in their children's education and literacy is one of the areas where parents have the relatively simple facilities, such as books or other reading materials, to become involved and to make a significant difference. In addition to reading with their children, parents can also show them that they value reading as a worthwhile activity by encouraging them to read and by reading themselves. These two activities are the focus of this short report on findings from the authors' annual research. A significant area of concern highlighted by the report is that fathers are far less likely to support their children's reading. Far fewer fathers than mothers encourage their children to read, with one in three fathers giving no reading encouragement to their children at all. Mothers are twice as likely to be seen reading by their child than fathers, with one third of dads never seen with a book, newspaper or magazine. This report shows that what parents say, and what they do, can have a considerable impact on young people's reading enjoyment, confidence and attainment. Appended are: (1) An introduction to the annual literacy survey; (2) Methodology; and (3) Sample characteristics. (Contains 3 figures, 13 tables, and 8 footnotes.)

The gender gap has been a hotly debated issue, both nationally and internationally. In 2000, the then Department for Education and Schools commissioned a four-year study into raising boys' achievement. The commission worked with over 60 primary, secondary and special schools in England to identify and evaluate the strategies highlighted to be particularly beneficial in motivating boys. This short report outlines information that has come to light in recent years. The evidence comes from three sources: the views of practitioners from a survey of 226 UK schools on the issue; the academic and policy perspectives from secondary sources; and the views of young people from National Literacy Trust's surveys of young people themselves--with the latter forming the backbone of this paper. This brief review was prepared to inform the Commission's initial discussions and guide them in their subsequent investigation and evidence gathering. It sets out evidence for the following three main areas of the Commission's remit: (1) The scale of the problem: in what areas are boys struggling, emerging trends for the UK; (2) Why boys are falling behind: the impact of boys' attitudes towards literacy and their reading behaviours; and (3) Successful approaches: examples of how boys' literacy has been effectively supported. (Contains 8 figures and 72 footnotes.) [This paper was written with support from David Burke.]

It is frequently said or implicitly assumed that there is a positive relationship between enjoyment, attitudes, behaviour and attainment, with pupils who enjoy reading or writing having more positive attitudes towards it, doing it more and thereby getting better at it. This paper explores to what extent this is an assumption or to what extent it is based on empirical evidence and concludes by highlighting findings from our own research. This paper includes a brief review of the literature, which uncovered a predictably complex picture, with findings that sometimes contradict each other. This picture is aggravated by a lack of common definitions, frequently confused terms, over-used buzz words and, frankly speaking, oftentimes sweeping statements that are not based on empirical evidence. Turning to our own research as a second step, we then explored the frequently neglected aspect of the interrelationships of pertinent variables. Using structural equation modelling based on a survey of 4,503 young people for whom we had attainment data as well as information on their reading enjoyment, attitudes and behaviour, we explored the validity of various possible models of relationships. Reading enjoyment emerged as a prominent variable that influences reading attainment indirectly as well as directly. The implications are discussed. (Contains 7 tables, 8 figures and 1 footnote.)

There were 18,141 young people aged eight to 17 who participated in this online survey in November and December 2010. While the survey focuses on young people's attitudes towards reading, writing and communication skills as well as technology use, this report centers exclusively on the writing aspect of the survey. More specifically, it explores how much young people enjoy writing, how good a writer they think they are, what they think makes a good writer, what types of genre they write and what they think about writing. (Contains 14 tables and 6 figures.)

Earlier this year Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, announced that British children were not reading enough and should, he believed, reading 50 books a year. This idea had come from a charter school he had visited in the US and was met with some degree of scepticism by authors and professionals who questioned whether a focus on quantity rather than engagement with books, especially at a time when libraries were being closed across the country, was the best approach to take. Putting aside the politics of this proposition, what is the evidence that reading four books a month instead of say one or ten has an impact on reading attainment and other reading variables? It is the purpose of this short paper to explore the relationship between the number of books young people read in a month and other reading variables, such as reading enjoyment, attitudes towards reading, reading frequency and reading length as well as reading attainment. Data to explore these relationships come from a survey of over 18,000 8 to 17-year-olds that the authors conducted in November/December 2010. Background information on the Omnibus survey is appended. (Contains 10 tables and 1 figure.)

This paper presents additional information from the authors' 2009 survey of young people's reading and writing--for more information see their forthcoming report Clark and Douglas (2010) "Young People's Reading and Writing: An in-depth study focusing on enjoyment, behaviour, attitudes and attainment." To support the School Library Commission's evidence base, this paper explores what young people think about school libraries--do they use them? If yes, why? If not, why not? It also outlines how school library usage differs according to background demographics and reading attainment, and how it relates to wider enjoyment of reading, attitudes towards reading and reading frequency. This report has shown that most young people use the school library. They use it because it gives them easy access to books, because it is a friendly space and because they believe that the school library, and by default reading, will help them do better at school. The authors have also shown that their school library use is related to their ethnic background, age and gender. It also shows a link between school library use and increased reading enjoyment, higher self-assessments of reading ability as well as more positive attitudes towards reading. Most interestingly, there is a clear link between attainment and school library usage. Young people with a reading age above the expected level for their age are twice as likely to be school library users as their peers with a reading level below that expected for their age. The link is not necessarily causal, but it suggests that school libraries have a vital role to play in the reading patterns of those pupils who have higher literacy levels. (Contains 8 tables and 14 endnotes.)

Premier League Reading Stars (PLRS) is in its eighth year. To complement a pre-post quantitative survey, an impact evidence base was required to inform consideration of continued funding into 2011 and beyond. PLRS is very highly regarded among child participants, parents, and librarians. The structure of the scheme, its basis on football, and the energy and enthusiasm of the librarians all provide an incentive for children and their parents to enhance their enjoyment of reading. Meeting authors, visiting bookshops, and enjoying the professional skills of librarians to help choose appropriate materials is great fun, enjoyable, and certainly productive. It is very apparent that there are positive "unintended" consequences of PLRS, most notably the social and familial aspect of children spending quality time with parents and using reading as a means of bonding. The only substantive element of concern is the policy (or lack of it?) applied by schools at the participant recruitment stage. It was common to find children who were not "poor readers" and, possibly less of an issue, did not support the sponsoring club. One of the ways the scheme works is the power of the "I want to be like [footballer]." Some librarians reported that some better readers in a group are likely to make a similar "I want to be like him/her" positive impact on the whole group as they encourage the less engaged readers to enjoy reading, too. On the basis of this qualitative assessment, the researchers recommend that PLRS should continue its valuable and highly regarded work.

In December 2008, 35 professionals from research, policy, practice and the media participated in an online survey about a range of key literacy issues. This is the second time that this annual survey has been carried out in the in UK. Participants were asked to indicate whether a certain topic was "hot" (i.e. currently a topic of debate and research) or "not hot" (i.e. not currently receiving a lot of attention). In addition, they were asked to indicate whether these topics should or should not be a focus of research and debate in 2009. A similar survey has been conducted in the U.S. since 1996. While there was no "extremely hot topic" this year, phonics and assessment continue to occupy the literacy landscape in the UK by being voted the hottest topics in 2008. Seven topics were "hot" this year: reading difficulties, reading interventions, writing, speaking and listening, personalised learning, early literacy intervention and literacy in the early years. Writing, speaking and listening and reading difficulties were topics that moved into the "hot" topics this year, with all three having been "very cold" or "cold" topics last year. The coldest topics this year are reading motivation, adolescent literacy, popular culture and literacy, literacy to support health and well-being, and literacy to support participation in society. Two of these topics are remarkably colder than they were last year. Adolescent literacy and popular culture and literacy changed from a "hot" topic last year to a "very cold" this year. Reading motivation also cooled compared to last year when it was seen only as a "cold" topic. The respondents believed that all five topics should be hot in 2009. (Contains 1 table.)

This report reviews the structure of the guidance field and provides a sector-by-sector analysis of current quality assurance arrangements in the United Kingdom. Part 1 presents an outline of the guidance sector, including some key concepts, structures, and roles. It defines guidance and other terms; discusses the three main categories (education/training-based, employment-based, and independent guidance); describes representative bodies in the guidance sector; addresses two current structural changes (Connexions Service and the Learning and Skills Council); analyzes strengths of, weaknesses of, opportunities for, and threats facing the guidance sector; and discusses two key issues in the guidance sector (harmonization and funding). Part 2 provides a sector-by-sector analysis of current quality assurance arrangements. It discusses principles underpinning good quality guidance and development of Guidance Council Quality Standards (GCQS). Existing quality standards of schools; further education; higher education; training provision; employment-based guidance provision; Career Services; Employment Service; local authority provision; community-based provision; private sector guidance and employment agencies; partnership arrangements; Wales; Scotland; Northern Ireland; and the wider international context are analyzed with a view toward using GCQS outside the adult guidance sector. Appendixes include 22 references and glossary. (YLB)

During December 2007, 35 professionals from research, policy, practice and the media were interviewed about a range of literacy issues. Interviewees were asked to indicate whether a certain topic was "hot" (i.e. currently a topic of debate and research) or "not hot" (i.e. not currently receiving a lot of attention). One of the hottest issues by far is phonics. However, fewer respondents believed that it should continue to be a focus of attention in 2008. Assessment, comprehension and reading for pleasure are another topic that were rated to be "extremely hot" at the moment. Other topics that should be "very hot" in 2008 include adolescent literacy, the National Year of Reading, English as a second language, family literacy, social inclusion, informational texts (wider aspects of reading), reading motivation, early years, community-wide approaches, initial teacher training, writing, speaking and listening and parental involvement. Topics that are rated "not hot" at the moment include comprehension, English as a second language, family literacy, reading for pleasure, informational texts (focus on the wider aspects of reading), reading motivation, reading difficulties and writing. (Contains 1 table.)

This report, based on a recent survey of over 8,000 primary and secondary pupils in England, explores why some pupils choose to read and others do not. The research literature shows that reading for pleasure benefits children in numerous ways. Yet, research also shows that young people's reading enjoyment may be declining. Given current political concerns about reading and the clear benefits that reading for pleasure can bring, it is vital that more emphasis is placed on reading enjoyment both at school and at home. The National Literacy Trust therefore conducted a survey for Reading Connects in 2005 to collect evidence about children's and young people's reading preferences and reading behaviours with the aim of supporting parents, teachers and other literacy professionals in promoting wider reading. The key findings include: (1) Half the sample of pupils said they enjoy reading either very much or quite a lot and rated themselves as proficient readers; (2) The majority of pupils read every day or once/twice a week; (3) Almost half the sample believed that they were reading enough. A fifth of pupils stated that not only were they not reading enough, but they also would not want to read more; (4) Pupils generally held positive attitudes towards reading-agreeing with statements that reading is important and disagreeing with statements that reading is boring, hard, or for girls rather than boys; (5) Pupils indicated reading a diverse range of materials outside class, which included texts other than books. When asked specifically about fiction preferences, adventure, comedy and horror/ghost stories were the most frequently chosen types; (6) Most pupils read in the bedroom, followed by the classroom and the living room; (7) When asked why they were reading, most pupils indicated that they read because it is a skill for life, it helps them find out what they want/need to know and because it is fun. Only a fifth of pupils read because they have to; (8) Pupils said that they would read more if they had more time, if they enjoyed it more, if books were cheaper and if books were about subjects they were interested in; (9) When asked what activities would encourage them to read more, half the sample stated that designing websites/magazines, meeting authors/celebrity readers and reading games would motivate them. Rating books and writing book reviews were only motivating for a fifth of pupils; (10) Over 80% of pupils reported that it was their mother who had taught them to read, followed by their teacher and their father; (11) Almost half the pupils never or almost never talked with their family about what they were reading. Their mother, father and friend were the top three people with whom pupils discussed their reading. Their mother, teacher and father were also the most frequently cited reading partners; (12) Pupils also believed that their mother spends more time reading than their father; (13) A quarter of pupils reported that their father never spent any time reading; (14) Pupils stated that their mother encourages them to read more frequently than their father; and (15) Finally, when asked who should teach them to read and who should encourage them to enjoy reading, the majority of pupils stated that these should be done by both the home and the school. (Contains 90 figures, 20 tables, and 19 endnotes.)