Let’s Think Secondary Science: Evaluation report and executive summary

Let’s Think Secondary Science (LTSS) aims to develop students’ scientific reasoning by teaching them scientific principles such as categorisation, probability and experimentation LTSS was evaluated using a randomised controlled trial with over 8000 students in 53 schools. Schools were randomly allocated to deliver either the programme or their ‘business as usual’ science teaching. It should be considered an effectiveness trial, as it aimed to test a scalable intervention under realistic conditions in a large number of schools. The primary outcome measure was an age-appropriate science test based on a Key Stage 3 SATs paper, and the secondary measures were English and maths tests provided by GL Assessment. The process evaluation consisted of lesson observations, surveys and interviews with staff, and surveys and focus groups with students. The trial started in September 2013 and ended in July 2015.This evaluation provided no evidence that Let’s Think Secondary Science improved the science attainment of students by the end of Year 8

How Environmental Pollution from Fossil Fuels can be included in measures of National Accounts and Estimates of Genuine Savings

In this paper, we examine means to incorporate the environmental effects of fossil fuel use into national accounts and genuine savings estimates. The main focus is on the rationales for the inclusion of carbon dioxide, and its appropriate price tag. We do this in the context of the pricing of historic carbon emissions in United Kingdom over the long run (from the onset of the industrial revolution to the present). Furthermore, we examine the reasonableness of taking into account other greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide. The global effects of carbon dioxide are compared to the local detrimental effects of the production and consumption of coal in the UK

Comprehensive investment and future well-being in the USA, 1869-2000

This paper reports long-run tests of how comprehensive investment (CI) predicts future well-being in the USA. Theory suggests that a country with a positive level of CI should experience non-declining future utility. Despite the widespread uptake of CI, previous tests of its predictive power are for short time intervals. We assemble data for increasingly-comprehensive measures of US capital back to 1869 which are used to predict future consumption per capita. Our results show that with the inclusion of natural and human capital, CI can predict changes in future well-being reasonably well over 20 years into the future. Extending CI, to include measures of intangible or social capital, yield results that closely predict consumption over 20-50 years horizons

EAL in the mainstream classroom:Developing and testing EAL training for classroom teachers at GCSE

EAL in the Mainstream Classroom was a programme delivered by a partnership of Challenge Partners, Lampton School, and Hounslow Language Service which aims to support English as an Additional Language (EAL) pupils in the mainstream classroom across different subjects. It was designed to build expertise and capacity among classroom teachers so they can provide the best teaching and learning for EAL pupils, so reducing the need for specialist support. Classroom teachers were provided with three days of training in how to plan lessons with EAL pupils in mind, develop specific resources, and differentiate between pupils with different language skills. At the core of the approach was a focus on academic language, supporting classroom teachers’ use and understanding of grammar, core vocabulary, and spoken language, which are key to helping EAL pupils within a whole class context, and which are also likely to have benefits for children more broadly.This project was funded with Unbound Philanthropy and The Bell Foundation, as part of a £2m funding round looking to boost attainment for EAL pupils, in the context of continuously rising rates of EAL pupils and a lack of interventions to support their learning. A pilot evaluation in 58 schools indicated that this approach was ready to be tested more widely using a Randomised Controlled Trial.This efficacy trial found that EAL pupils in EAL in the Mainstream Classroom schools made the equivalent of one month’s additional progress, with attainment measured using GSCE science scores (either GCSE combined or the three separate science GCSEs). This result has a moderate to high security rating.For secondary and subgroup analyses, among pupils eligible for Free School Meals, the estimated effect size for GCSE science scores was equivalent to one month’s additional progress. Pupils also made the equivalent of one month’s additional progress as measured through GCSE English Language scores, although they made the equivalent of no month’s additional progress in GCSE history scores. While these results show evidence of promise, as with any study, there is uncertainty around these results and they should be interpreted with caution. Some factors which could have limited its impact included training attendance and task completion issues, which were largely due to difficulties related to teachers’ capacity. Also, there was a lower amount of schools recruited than planned and evaluators encountered difficulty in collecting key data for EAL pupils.The headline finding, combined with further analyses and the implementation and process evaluation, provides tentative evidence about the promise of this programme and the approach of improving the attainment of EAL pupils in mainstream classroom settings through professional development for teachers across different subjects. However, as Challenge Partners are no longer delivering the programme, the EEF has no plans for a further trial of this programme

SEDP-2014-03-Oxley-Hanley-Greasley-Blum-McLaughlin-Kunnas-Warde

Genuine Savings has emerged as a widely-used indicator of sustainable development. In this paper, we use long-term data stretching back to 1870 to undertake empirical tests of the relationship between Genuine Savings (GS) and future well-being for three countries: Britain, the USA and Germany. Our tests are based on an underlying theoretical relationship between GS and changes in the present value of future consumption. Based on both single country and panel results, we find evidence supporting the existence of a cointegrating (long run equilibrium) relationship between GS and future well-being, and fail to reject the basic theoretical result on the relationship between these two macroeconomic variables. This provides some support for the GS measure of weak sustainability. We also show the effects of modelling shocks, such as World War Two and the Great Depression

EAL in the mainstream classroom:Developing and testing EAL training for classroom teachers at GCSE

EAL in the Mainstream Classroom was a programme delivered by a partnership of Challenge Partners, Lampton School, and Hounslow Language Service which aims to support English as an Additional Language (EAL) pupils in the mainstream classroom across different subjects. It was designed to build expertise and capacity among classroom teachers so they can provide the best teaching and learning for EAL pupils, so reducing the need for specialist support. Classroom teachers were provided with three days of training in how to plan lessons with EAL pupils in mind, develop specific resources, and differentiate between pupils with different language skills. At the core of the approach was a focus on academic language, supporting classroom teachers’ use and understanding of grammar, core vocabulary, and spoken language, which are key to helping EAL pupils within a whole class context, and which are also likely to have benefits for children more broadly.This project was funded with Unbound Philanthropy and The Bell Foundation, as part of a £2m funding round looking to boost attainment for EAL pupils, in the context of continuously rising rates of EAL pupils and a lack of interventions to support their learning. A pilot evaluation in 58 schools indicated that this approach was ready to be tested more widely using a Randomised Controlled Trial.This efficacy trial found that EAL pupils in EAL in the Mainstream Classroom schools made the equivalent of one month’s additional progress, with attainment measured using GSCE science scores (either GCSE combined or the three separate science GCSEs). This result has a moderate to high security rating.For secondary and subgroup analyses, among pupils eligible for Free School Meals, the estimated effect size for GCSE science scores was equivalent to one month’s additional progress. Pupils also made the equivalent of one month’s additional progress as measured through GCSE English Language scores, although they made the equivalent of no month’s additional progress in GCSE history scores. While these results show evidence of promise, as with any study, there is uncertainty around these results and they should be interpreted with caution. Some factors which could have limited its impact included training attendance and task completion issues, which were largely due to difficulties related to teachers’ capacity. Also, there was a lower amount of schools recruited than planned and evaluators encountered difficulty in collecting key data for EAL pupils.The headline finding, combined with further analyses and the implementation and process evaluation, provides tentative evidence about the promise of this programme and the approach of improving the attainment of EAL pupils in mainstream classroom settings through professional development for teachers across different subjects. However, as Challenge Partners are no longer delivering the programme, the EEF has no plans for a further trial of this programme

Comprehensive investment and future well-being in the USA, 1869-2000

This paper reports long-run tests of how comprehensive investment (CI) predicts future well-being in the USA. Theory suggests that a country with a positive level of CI should experience non-declining future utility. Despite the widespread uptake of CI, previous tests of its predictive power are for short time intervals. We assemble data for increasingly-comprehensive measures of US capital back to 1869 which are used to predict future consumption per capita. Our results show that with the inclusion of natural and human capital, CI can predict changes in future well-being reasonably well over 20 years into the future. Extending CI, to include measures of intangible or social capital, yield results that closely predict consumption over 20-50 years horizons

External validation of a claims-based algorithm for classifying kidney-cancer surgeries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Unlike other malignancies, there is no literature supporting the accuracy of medical claims data for identifying surgical treatments among patients with kidney cancer. We sought to validate externally a previously published Medicare-claims-based algorithm for classifying surgical treatments among patients with early-stage kidney cancer. To achieve this aim, we compared procedure assignments based on Medicare claims with the type of surgery specified in SEER registry data and clinical operative reports.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using linked SEER-Medicare data, we calculated the agreement between Medicare claims and SEER data for identification of cancer-directed surgery among 6,515 patients diagnosed with early-stage kidney cancer. Next, for a subset of 120 cases, we determined the agreement between the claims algorithm and the medical record. Finally, using the medical record as the reference-standard, we calculated the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the claims algorithm.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 6,515 cases, Medicare claims and SEER data identified 5,483 (84.1%) and 5,774 (88.6%) patients, respectively, who underwent cancer-directed surgery (observed agreement = 93%, κ = 0.69, 95% CI 0.66 – 0.71). The two data sources demonstrated 97% agreement for classification of partial versus radical nephrectomy (κ = 0.83, 95% CI 0.81 – 0.86). We observed 97% agreement between the claims algorithm and clinical operative reports; the positive predictive value of the claims algorithm exceeded 90% for identification of both partial nephrectomy and laparoscopic surgery.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Medicare claims represent an accurate data source for ascertainment of population-based patterns of surgical care among patients with early-stage kidney cancer.</p

Farmers’ valuation and willingness to pay for vaccines to protect livestock resources against priority infectious diseases in Ghana

Introduction: Livestock vaccination coverage rates remain low in many lower and middle income countries despite effective vaccines being commonly available. Consequently, many preventable infectious livestock diseases remain highly prevalent, causing significant animal mortalities and threatening farmers’ livelihood and food security. This study sought to assess farmers’ maximum willingness to pay (WTP) for contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), and peste-des-petits-ruminants (PPR) vaccination of cattle, and sheep and goats, respectively. Methods: Overall, 350 ruminant livestock farmers were randomly selected from three districts located in the northern, middle and southern farming belts of Ghana. We implemented a double-bounded dichotomous contingent valuation experiment, where farmers indicated their WTP for vaccinating each livestock specie(s) owned at randomly assigned price points. WTP responses were analyzed using maximum likelihood estimation, and factors influencing WTP were assessed using censored regression analysis accounting for village-level clustering. Results: Mean WTP for CBPP vaccination was USD 1.43 or Ghanaian Cedi (GHC) 8.63 (95% CI: GHC 7.08–GHC 10.19) per cattle. Mean WTP for PPR vaccination was USD 1.17 or GHC 7.02 (95% CI: GHC 5.99–GHC 8.05) per sheep, and USD 1.1 or GHC 6.66 (95% CI: GHC 5.89–GHC 7.44) per goat. WTP was positively associated with resilience, limited knowledge about vaccines (assessed prior to WTP experiment), farmland size, and male gender, after adjusting for other covariates. To attain 70% vaccination coverage in Ghana, vaccination costs should be no larger than GHC 5.30 (USD 0.88) for CBPP per cattle and GHC 3.89 (USD 0.65) and GHC 3.67 (USD 0.61), respectively, for PPR vaccines per sheep and goat. Conclusions: Ruminant livestock farmers in Ghana value vaccination highly, and are, on average, willing to pay vaccination costs that exceed the prevailing market prices (GHC 6 for CBPP and GHC 5 for PPR vaccination) to protect their livestock resources. To achieve 70% coverage, only minor subsidies would likely be required. These results suggest that effective disease control in these settings should be possible with appropriate distribution strategies