For decades countries around the world have regarded knowledge diplomacy as a key element of soft power. Knowledge diplomacy – or science diplomacy – was once closely associated with governments. It was used as a vehicle for attracting and influencing countries through their research and higher education sectors. Typically it came under the egis of ministries […] … learn more→

The Drs Cleverclog are well known in academic circles. A very large extended family of know-it-alls. At least one of them makes their presence known at every conference, meeting and large academic gathering you go to. Even if you don’t recognise them by sight, you know them by their behaviour. The Cleverclogs have an opinion […] … learn more→

As part of the subject-level teaching excellence framework, the Department for Education is consulting on whether to introduce a new measure of teaching intensity. One of the six options presented for consideration as part of the current consultation is a “gross teaching quotient” weighted by qualification/seniority of teacher. This would weigh contact time by qualification/seniority of […] … learn more→

Spelling, a problem limited to the school sphere? The question of spelling has for a long time remained exclusively a matter of the educational system alone, with the ministry setting objectives to be achieved per cycle and periodically evaluating the level of students. Several studies agree on the regular and consistent decline in the level […] … learn more→

When two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks where they had been waiting for a business meeting on April 12, the incident called renewed attention to the bias that racial minorities face in American society. A few days later, a similar incident unfolded at an LA Fitness in New Jersey. While these two incidents involved adults at […] … learn more→

Teacher strikes are generating a healthy focus on how far public education funding has fallen over the past decade. The full explanation, however, goes beyond basic funding cuts. It involves systematic advantages in terms of funding, students and teachers for charter schools and voucher programs as compared to traditional public schools. Increasing public teacher salaries may end the current […] … learn more→

As a researcher, it can be tempting to ignore the current hysteria about automation. I’ve had a bit of a “not my circus, not my monkeys” attitude myself. Perhaps whole industries will disappear, our taxis will become self driving and our fast food outlets staffed by robots, but research work? I like to think research […] … learn more→

Technology has changed nearly every aspect of our lives, including how we communicate, how we entertain ourselves, and, perhaps most importantly, how we learn. While some may frown on how screen-dependent our culture has become, research has shown that students who are interested in computers are more likely to apply themselves and attend school more […] … learn more→

There are rising concerns about the reliability of academic research, yet even when papers are retracted, the reasons are often left unexplained. We recently studied 734 peer-reviewed journals in economics and identified 55 papers retracted for reasons other than “accidental duplication” or “administrative error”. Of those, 28 gave no clear indication of whether any questionable […] … learn more→

No one – alas! – would trust me, athletically challenged and almost tone-deaf as I am, to coach Manchester United or to direct the London Symphony Orchestra. By the same token, one should not expect most politicians to improve education. Robert Halfon, who despite being a former UK education minister and current chair of the […] … learn more→