The influence of context on attainment in primary school: Interactions between children, family and school contexts [Wider Benefits of Learning Research Report No. 28]

Growing awareness of the importance of parents and the home environment in shaping children’s achievement, coupled with the recognition of the school as a site for engagement in broader aspects of social and personal development, has raised interest in the interactions between these different influences as a way of addressing issues of educational attainment and inequality. This study explores the nature of these links and considers the relative contribution of different aspects of four different ‘contexts’ or likely spheres of influence on pupil achievement in England at Key Stage 2 (age 10/11), as well as their associations with one another. The results highlight that the quality of each of the different aspects of their lives is important for children’s attainment in primary school: pupils with better contexts – i.e. better individual, school and family background and experience – have higher scores in Key Stage 2 assessments in English, maths and science. However, these contexts do not act in isolation, but are closely related to one another, and their influence on children’s attainment is affected by these interrelationships. Furthermore, these results indicate that the interaction effects are greater for those with poor quality contexts. This suggests not only that there is scope to narrow the gaps in educational opportunity, but also that, where influence is possible, the greatest likely returns are for those whose background and experience are poor

A phytosociological study of soligenous mires and springs in the north Pennines

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Infiniteness of Double Coset Collections in Algebraic Groups

Let $G$ be a linear algebraic group defined over an algebraically closed field. The double coset question addressed in this paper is the following: Given closed subgroups $X$ and $P$, is the double coset collection $X\backslash G/P$ finite or infinite? We limit ourselves to the case where $X$ is maximal rank and reductive and $P$ parabolic. This paper presents a criterion for infiniteness which involves only dimensions of centralizers of semisimple elements. This result is then applied to finish the classification of those $X$ which are spherical. Finally, excluding a case in $F_4$, we show that if $X\backslash G/P$ is finite then $X$ is spherical or the Levi factor of $P$ is spherical. This implies that it is rare for $X\backslash G/P$ to be finite. The primary method of proof is to descend to calculations at the finite group level and then to use elementary character theory.Comment: 24 page

Unipotent classes in the classical groups parameterized by subgroups

This paper describes how to use subgroups to parameterize unipotent classes in the classical algebraic group in characteristic 2. These results can be viewed as an extension of the Bala-Carter Theorem, and give a convenient way to compare unipotent classes in a group $G$ with unipotent classes of a subgroup $X$ where $G$ is exceptional and $X$ is a Levi subgroup of classical type.Comment: 14 pages. Minor changes and rewriting compared to version

Being the Body of Christ

...catechumenal formation is not a dress rehearsal for discipleship, but is discipleship itself. Catechumenal formation is ministry – the sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who need to hear it most. The catechumenate facilitates newcomer participation in the central practices of discipleship alongside oldcomers. Yet, that is not all. Where the catechumenate thrives is when leaders tend to the relationships between newcomers and oldcomers – where leaders tend to the ministry that occurs between newcomers and oldcomers

Preliminary Gibbon Status Review for Lao PDR 2008

Provides a site directory for gibbon habitats and populations in Laos. Examines patterns of threats and conservation and documents the national conservation status and outlook for each species. Makes recommendations for urgent interventions

iPod therefore I am: Using PC Videos to Aid the Teaching of the History of Political Philosophy

This article outlines our experiences at the University of Huddersfield of (a) producing and using mini-lectures on the history of political philosophy that were available to students as MP4 and progressive download PC video files (and MP3 audio files), and (b) the student feedback on these files which will help future development. This article largely avoids pedagogical issues regarding the use of technology in teaching and focuses more on student feedback and use of these technologies, along with practical issues regarding the production and hosting of these teaching tools

Are there effects of mother's post-16 education on the next generation? Effects on children's development and mothers' parenting [Wider Benefits of Learning Research Report No. 19]

There is an extensive body of research which shows that the children of parents with longer participation in education do better in standard tests of school attainment than those whose parents have had less education. One of the mechanisms put forward for explaining the intergenerational transmission of educational success is parenting. This report adds to a growing body of research from the Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning on the inter-generational transmission of educational success and issues of parenting skills, behaviours and attitudes. The report seeks to establish whether the strong correlation between mothers' participation in education and both her child's development and her parenting results from a primarily causal relationship, or from selection effects. Using longitudinal data spanning three generations, we find that while mothers' participation in post-compulsory education has some small positive causal effects, much of the apparent relationship between a mother's post-16 educational participation and measures of her children's cognitive ability and her parenting skills is driven by the selection bias – it is largely other factors, such as her aspirations, motivation and prior achievement, which determine her child's attainment and affect her decision to stay on in education. Much of the developmental literature tends towards a causal interpretation of the relationship between parents' education and the development and ability of their children. However, the results of this report suggest that such assumptions should be made with considerable caution. Our findings suggest that simply extending the length of time that women spend in education may do little to directly affect the educational attainment of their children. Rather, it is the ability and aspirations of women which inform their participation in post-16 education, their parenting ability and the attainment of their children. It may be through inter-generational continuities in factors such as these that inequalities in educational success are transmitted through the generations. This suggests that supporting children in learning through early and continued investment in quality education and developmental opportunities is more important in addressing social immobility than simply extending the average length of participation, important though that may be