The Effectiveness of English Secondary Schools for Pupils of Different Ability Levels

'League table' information on school effectiveness in England generally relies on either a comparison of the average outcomes of pupils by school, e.g. mean exam scores, or on estimates of the average value added by each school. These approaches assume that the information parents and policy-makers need most to judge school effectiveness is the average achievement level or gain in a particular school. Yet schools can be differentially effective for children with differing levels of prior attainment. We present evidence on the extent of differential effectiveness in English secondary schools, and find that even the most conservative estimate suggests that around one quarter of schools in England are differentially effective for students of differing prior ability levels. This affects an even larger proportion of children as larger schools are more likely to be differentially effective.value added, school choice, school effectiveness, England

The effectiveness of English secondary schools for pupils of different ability levels

'League table' information on school effectiveness in England generally relies on either a comparison of the average outcomes of pupils by school, e.g. mean exam scores, or on estimates of the average value added by each school. These approaches assume that the information parents and policy-makers need most to judge school effectiveness is the average achievement level or gain in a particular school. Yet schools can be differentially effective for children with differing levels of prior attainment. We present evidence on the extent of differential effectiveness in English secondary schools, and find that even the most conservative estimate suggests that around one quarter of schools in England are differentially effective for students of differing prior ability levels. This affects an even larger proportion of children as larger schools are more likely to be differentially effective.school effectiveness, school choice, value added, England

The Impact of Training on Productivity and Wages: Evidence from British Panel Data

It is standard in the literature on training to use wages as a sufficient statistic for productivity. But there are many reasons why wages and productivity may diverge. This paper is part of a smaller literature on the effects of work-related training on direct measures of productivity. We construct a panel of British industries between 1983 and 1996 containing training, productivity and wages. Using a variety of econometric estimation techniques (including system GMM) we find that training is associated with significantly higher productivity. Raising the proportion of workers trained in an industry by one percentage point (say from the average of 10% to 11%) is associated with an increase in value added per worker of about 0.6% and an increase in wages of about 0.3%. Furthermore, we find that the magnitude of the impact of training on wages is only half as large as the impact of training on productivity, implying that the existing literature has underestimated the importance of training. We also show evidence using complementary datasets (e.g. from individuals) that is suggestive of externalities of training and imperfect competition.Productivity, training, wages, panel data

The impact of training on productivity and wages: evidence from British panel data

It is standard in the literature on training to use wages as a sufficient statistic for productivity. This paper examines the effects of work-related training on direct measures of productivity. Using a new panel of British industries 1983-1996 and a variety of estimation techniques we find that work-related training is associated with significantly higher productivity. A one percentage point increase in training is associated with an increase in value added per hour of about 0.6% and an increase in hourly wages of about 0.3%. We also show evidence using individual level datasets that is suggestive of training externalities.Productivity, training, wages, panel data

Student learning and teacher intervention in an undergraduate engineering laboratory.

A two-term introductory electrical and electronic engineering laboratory programme at the University of Surrey was studied intensively for two successive academic years. The research reported in this thesis represents the outcome of that effort. Referring to published accounts on laboratory teaching methods, Chapter One argues for investigations of teachers teaching and students studying as these occur naturally in science and engineering laboratories. The suggestion is for a switch in research effort. From inquiries which emphasise what could or should happen in laboratories to the examination of what actually does happen. Methods of inquiry used in educational evaluation and research are reviewed in Chapter Two and the newly emerging anthropological paradigm is identified as most appropriate. A range of theoretical and methodological ideas and concepts used by those pursuing work in this paradigm are adopted and a general research approach suited to the specific setting of an engineering laboratory is proposed. A major concern of this thesis, then, is the ways in which this general stance was able to be translated into practice. Chapter Three addresses several procedural issues that arise and need attending to when collecting field-work data. Details of who was spoken to or observed, when, where, for how long, and how often, are all included in this chapter. In Chapter Four the Surrey lab emerges as a learning environment that channells the actions of its students in certain specific directions. Three local customs of conduct are identified (working quickly, preparatory working, working mechanically). To characterise the different features that make up the lab context the concept of a Laboratory Instructional Script and Laboratory Management Framework is introduced. The student act of working mechanically through experiments is focussed upon in Chapter Five. The way in which this relates to how students learn in the lab and what they learn is subsequently examined. Using twenty years of documentary records, Chapter Six reviews several attempts made to change the Surrey lab programme. The chapter argues that many of the interventions were based on incorrect assumptions about how students respond in the lab and, therefore, resulted in serious unintended as well as intended effects. Chapter Seven briefly re-considers the method of inquiry used in the thesis and the rationale behind its adoption. The main ideas and concepts developed during the work are drawn together and their generalisability status is discussed. Finally an attempt is made to locate the reported work in the wider arena of educational research. Each student in the Surrey laboratory proceeds each week through a separate script of experimental instructions. In Appendix I four of the sixteen scripts used in the programme are included (in full) for the reader's perusal

In Silico Prediction of Physicochemical Properties

This report provides a critical review of computational models, and in particular(quantitative) structure-property relationship (QSPR) models, that are available for the prediction of physicochemical properties. The emphasis of the review is on the usefulness of the models for the regulatory assessment of chemicals, particularly for the purposes of the new European legislation for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of CHemicals (REACH), which entered into force in the European Union (EU) on 1 June 2007. It is estimated that some 30,000 chemicals will need to be further assessed under REACH. Clearly, the cost of determining the toxicological and ecotoxicological effects, the distribution and fate of 30,000 chemicals would be enormous. However, the legislation makes it clear that testing need not be carried out if adequate data can be obtained through information exchange between manufacturers, from in vitro testing, and from in silico predictions. The effects of a chemical on a living organism or on its distribution in the environment is controlled by the physicochemical properties of the chemical. Important physicochemical properties in this respect are, for example, partition coefficient, aqueous solubility, vapour pressure and dissociation constant. Whilst all of these properties can be measured, it is much quicker and cheaper, and in many cases just as accurate, to calculate them by using dedicated software packages or by using (QSPRs). These in silico approaches are critically reviewed in this report.JRC.I.3-Toxicology and chemical substance

Light absorption studies: part I. The ultraviolet absorption spectra of some nitrobenzenes. Part II. The ultraviolet absorption spectra of some benzaldehydes

Part 1. The electronic spectra of nitrobenzenes are discussed in terms of previously proposed hypotheses relating electronic interactions and ultraviolet absorption data. A previously suggested order of mesomeric interaction of the halogens is confirmed, and it is shown that the mesomeric effect of the nitro-group is greater than that of the acetyl-group. -- Part 2. The electronic spectra of benzaldehydes are recorded and discussed in terms of previously proposed hypotheses. The formyl- group is shown to endow benzene derivatives with similar properties to those of nitro- and acetyl-substituted derivatives, save that the effects of steric interactions and hydrogen bonding are slightly modified. An order of mesomeric interaction -NO ₂ > -CHO > -COCH₃ > -COOH is proposed

Assessing the impact of urbanization on storm runoff in a peri-urban catchment using historical change in impervious cover

his paper investigates changes in storm runoff resulting from the transformation of previously rural landscapes into peri-urban areas. Two adjacent catchments (∼5 km2) located within the town of Swindon in the United Kingdom were monitored during 2011 and 2012 providing continuous records of rainfall, runoff and actual evaporation. One catchment is highly urbanized and the other is a recently developed peri-urban area containing two distinct areas of drainage: one with mixed natural and storm drainage pathways, the other entirely storm drainage. Comparison of observed storm hydrographs showed that the degree of area serviced by storm drainage was a stronger determinant of storm runoff response than either impervious area or development type and that little distinction in hydrological response exists between urban and peri-urban developments of similar impervious cover when no significant hydraulic alteration is present. Historical levels of urbanization and impervious cover were mapped from the 1960s to the 2010s based on digitized historical topographic maps and were combined with a hydrological model to enable backcasting of the present day storm runoff response to that of the catchments in their earlier states. Results from the peri-urban catchment showed an increase in impervious cover from 11% in the 1960s to 44% in 2010s, and introduction of a large-scale storm drainage system in the early 2000s, was accompanied by a 50% reduction in the Muskingum routing parameter k, reducing the characteristic flood duration by over 50% while increasing peak flow by over 400%. Comparisons with changes in storm runoff response in the more urban area suggest that the relative increase in peak flows and reduction in flood duration and response time of a catchment is greatest at low levels of urbanization and that the introduction of storm water conveyance systems significantly increases the flashiness of storm runoff above that attributed to impervious area alone. This study demonstrates that careful consideration is required when using impervious cover data within hydrological models and when designing flood mitigation measures, particularly in peri-urban areas where a widespread loss in pervious surfaces and alteration of drainage pathways can significantly alter the storm runoff response. Recommendations include utilizing more refined urban land use typologies that can better represent physical alteration of hydrological pathways