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PurposeThe paper aims to develop a case for re‐considering the role of schools in education policy. The argument is made that considerable amounts of the variation in pupil performance may in fact derive from factors based on variations in parents' ability to buy‐in support and enrichment of various kinds for their children.Design/methodology/approachThe argument of the paper is developed using secondary sources to make the case for non‐school explanations of variations in pupil performance and then offers a set of illustrations of the variety of types of bought‐in support and enrichment now being used in some families.FindingsThe paper concludes with the point that two contradictory education policy discourses are in play under New Labour. One, the discourse of standards/achievement, which works through testing, benchmarks, league‐tables, "coasting" schools, special measures, etc. totalises, individualises and commodifies the student as an "ability" – a cluster of performances. And in turn gives rise to "local economies of student worth" that "value" students differently within the processes of "school choice". The other, the discourse of choice and active parenting, totalises, individualises and commodifies parents and families as "consumers" of education and investors in cultural capital.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is discursive, exploratory and wide‐ranging. It sets out to make a plausible case that would merit further research rather than to establish at this stage a set of firm conclusions.Practical implicationsIf the argument is taken seriously then the focus of education policy would be decisively shifted. There is some evidence of a shift of emphasis towards more intervention and individual attention but achievement differences remain firmly located within schools.Originality/valueLittle attention has been focused on this kind of argument and there has certainly been no attempt to map the variety of and growth in private educational services.

PurposeThis paper aims to provide a holistic approach to assessing student teachers' competence development in education for sustainable development (ESD). This is to provide evidence on which teaching and learning formats help to foster which aspects of ESD-specific professional action competence in teachers. The studied competencies consist of content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the willingness to actively support and implement ESD.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study design was used on two sequential modules of a university's teacher education program. A mixed-methods approach was applied that combined surveys, videotaped and PhotoVoice-supported focus groups, as well as pre- and post-assessment tools. Qualitative data analysis was based on the coding paradigm of the qualitative content analysis, whereas quantitative data were interpreted by means of descriptive statistics and paired samplet-tests.FindingsThe results from this study clearly indicate that the two courses contributed to a shift in students' non-cognitive dispositions. The study also provides evidence on the students' competence development and demonstrates how two different learning settings support different dimensions of teachers' professional action competence in terms of ESD.Originality/valueThe triangulation of data enabled not only a mere competence assessment but also deeper insights into learning processes, as well as into the drivers of and barriers to competence development. Furthermore, the study introduces an innovative approach to assessing the development of PCK.

Media rankings of universities have become common in many countries. Although frequently criticised by a range of commentators, media rankings are used by students in destinational decision-making, and by universities in their own marketing. By critically reading three prominent media ranking systems, several trends emerge. Asiaweek, U.S. News & World Report and Maclean's magazines each adopt an activist/investigative stance as a justification for their hierarchical rankings of higher educational institutions. Central to this position is an argument for opening up universities to public scrutiny, resulting in greater accountability to students, parents and taxpayers. However, an analysis of the data collection methodologies shows that these stakeholders are excluded from the evaluation process. Instead, all quantitative data is collected from university central administrations, and the subjective reputational surveys are completed by senior university staff and similarly empowered 'experts'. Rather than acting as intrusive tools of public accountability, the media rankings serve to reinforce existing conceptualisations of 'the university' and 'quality' as expressed by the tertiary sector's prominent players.

This article explores the consequences of public and private spending on education at all levels, looking at skills and income inequality. We use data for 22 affluent democracies from 1960 or 1995 (depending on data availability) to 2017. High levels of public education spending consistently lower income inequality, both measured as wage dispersion and as the education premium. In contrast, higher levels of private education spending are associated with both higher wage dispersion and a higher education premium. We show that this effect works in part through differential skills acquisition. Public education spending raises the math scores of 15-years old students at the mean and at the 25th percentile, but private education spending has no effect on skills at these levels. We find the same pattern among skills of adults; public education spending raises skills at the 25th percentile and the mean; private spending has no effect. Finally, we also show that higher levels of adult skills indeed depress the education premium.

Plato's treatments of women are perplexing because they seem to justify both gender equality and female subordination. Faced with evidence of both, scholars typically ask whether Plato promotes gender equality or patriarchy rather than what a particular treatment of women means in the dialogue to which it belongs. This article seeks to clarify Plato's treatment of women by focusing on women's education in theLawsand analyzing it in the context of his Athenian Stranger's attempt at rational political reform. It argues that in exploring the differences between men and women, Plato shows them to be ones of degree rather than kind and identifies a common human weakness shared by both genders that is the greatest obstacle to his reform. This approach reveals a profound examination of ahumanproblem and an instructive account of the challenges that accompany the quest for gender equality.

The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the thematic group created at the 2009 Enpec [Brazilian National Conference on Science Education Research] edition under the name Diversity, Multiculturalism and Science Education (DMSE). Our research question was: What is that working group like? We set out to examine the group's production considering the DMSE sessions to be a forum where research is presented and debated. The methodology involved reading and organizing presentation titles, abstracts, keywords, problem questions, and references using the Free Interpretation Analysis approach, which draws connections between a researcher's perspective and their study's theoretical framework. Graphs show the most frequent topics within DMSE studies and their oscillations over the years. This paper provides data and results indented to help: a) mapping Science Education studies, observing how they address the reality and the particular conditions of teaching-learning processes in different Brazilian schools; b) introducing a more critical vein to the education of those involved in Science Education , encouraging them to think beyond instrumental aspects and to incorporate a political and ethical approach committed to building a less unequal society and to the defense of human rights; and c) advocating for a more plural Science Education, in which diverse voices can be heard. ; The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the thematic group created at the 2009 Enpec [Brazilian National Conference on Science Education Research] edition under the name Diversity, Multiculturalism and Science Education (DMSE). Our research question was: What is that working group like? We set out to examine the group's production considering the DMSE sessions to be a forum where research is presented and debated. The methodology involved reading and organizing presentation titles, abstracts, keywords, problem questions, and references using the Free Interpretation Analysis approach, which draws connections between a ...