New publications

Connecting Lives and Learning is a project dedicated to connecting learning to student lives, connecting teachers with the latest middle years research, and improving connections between primary and secondary schools in order to keep students at school longer. Based in Adelaide's lower socio-economic northern urban fringe, the project helps teachers use students' everyday experience and expertise to develop new ways of teaching and learning that involve students in intellectually challenging tasks. The book comprises case studies of teachers working in this environment. Adapted from the publisher's description.

The Project on Incentives in Teaching (POINT) was a three-year study conducted in the Metropolitan Nashville School System (MNPS) intended to test the notion that rewarding teachers financially for improved test scores would cause scores to rise. While the general trend in middle school mathematics performance was upward over the period of the project, students of teachers randomly assigned to the treatment group (eligible for bonuses) did not outperform students whose teachers were assigned to the control group (not eligible for bonuses). While the introduction of performance incentives in MNPS middle schools did not incur negative responses from teachers and staff, neither did it yield consistent and lasting gains in test scores. The full POINT Report is available online.

The National Accelerated Literacy Program (NALP) is an attempt to implement the Accelerated Literacy (AL) teaching approach in 100 primary and secondary schools in the Northern Territory. Drawing on evidence from surveys, interviews and other data, the authors examined teacher perceptions of the program and its implementation, as well as its impact on student achievement. Schools in very remote locations tended to have less PD and implementation support, and teachers overall were neutral about the quality of PD and support they were given. Classroom observations indicated that teachers' implementation of AL practices was generally below the level of 'effectively implemented'. However, a wide range of gains in reading achievement was found across the survey sample. Students in very remote areas were the least likely to record literacy gains. Adapted from the executive summary. The full report is available online.

Drawing on four studies, this report investigates efforts to implement a research-based pedagogical model of Progressive Inquiry and related Web-based tools to develop guidelines for educators in promoting students' collaborative inquiry practices with technology. The results indicate that teacher support for students' collaborative inquiry efforts involves both spontaneity and structure. Consideration should be given to content mastery, critical working strategies or essential knowledge practices, and students' activities should be structured and directed. Teachers can apply the principles of Progressive Inquiry in their own teaching in many innovative ways. Official curricula should acknowledge the importance of teaching culturally relevant, technology-enhanced knowledge practices to students. Adapted from the report's abstract. The full report is available online.

This report draws on recent JISC research into different contexts and modes of learning, which has explored the relationship between technology-enabled assessment and feedback practices, and meaningful, well-supported learning experiences. It notes that technology, if used appropriately, can add value to any of the activities associated with assessment: from establishing a culture of good practice to the processes involved in submission, marking and return of assessed assignments; and from the delivery of assessment to the generation of feedback by practitioners or peers. The full report is available online.

In this volume, the author describes how an approach known as the Greenfield reform strategy can help create an environment that invites new solutions to surface and provides the infrastructure necessary for them to succeed. The goal is the creation of schools capable of evolving with the students and society they serve. Sharing the examples of wider commercial organisations, the author builds a case for: school systems marked by data on performance and productivity, and compelled to compete on cost and quality; personnel policies designed to attract, retain and reward teachers, and leaders committed to excellence; and education funding configured to support new ventures and foster creative problem solving. Adapted from publisher's description.