Encouraging Learning

This book offers a radical critique of both the Government's agenda for educational reform and of the various alternative agendas that have been proposed in recent years. It is based upon original research by a distinguished inter-disciplinary author team. The focus of the book is on the work of secondary schools located in contexts of disadvantage and on the overwhelming need to motivate young people and to foster in them a sense of purpose and optimism for the future. In particular, the authors discuss how broader social trends impact upon schools as they move towards the year 2000; ways of understanding the low educational expectations of many young people and their disaffected attitude towards schooling; strategies by which schools can motivate students to take responsibility for their own learning; and ways of working in partnership with parents and in collaboration with other schools.