Full Description
Academic selection is the process of selecting students based on academic ability and then providing divergent educational routes depending on the results of the selection. Drawing on international evidence, this book provides detailed discussions on the influence of early-age academic selection on educational effectiveness and equity.
Demonstrating its widespread implementation across England, Northern Ireland, Germany, the United States, and China, the book provides a comprehensive evaluation of academic selection, considering policy implications, practical applications, and societal controversies. Through a systematic analysis of empirical studies, the book critically evaluates the potential impacts of academic selection on educational effectiveness and equity, exploring whether expanding or replacing it with a non-selective system would lead to more effective and equitable outcomes.
With significant implications for improving educational effectiveness and equity, this book will be invaluable to students and researchers of education policy and sociology of education, as well as to policymakers in countries with existing academic selection systems or considering their implementation.
Contents
1 A brief introduction 2 Academic selection in contemporary education systems: Its widespread practice around the world and different models 3 Indicators of academic selection: Reviewing previous literature and developing a new analytical tool 4 The impact of academic selection on effectiveness and equity 5 Academic selection and its enduring paradox: The disputable role of grammar schools in England 6 The controversial ebb and flow of academic selection: Grammar schools in Northern Ireland 7 A magic sorting hat?: Evaluating the early-age academic selection and tracking system in Germany 8 Academic selection in the United States: Selective high schools and their impacts 9 Institutional persistence in academic selection: The exam-oriented selection in China 10 Conclusion: Synthesising international evidence on academic selection
