Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has declared school voucher programs constitutional, the many unanswered questions concerning the potential effects of school choice will become especially pressing. Contributors to this volume draw on state-of-the-art economic methods to answer some of these questions, investigating the ways in which school choice affects a wide range of issues. Combining the results of empirical research with analyses of the basic economic forces underlying local education markets, The Economics of School Choice presents evidence concerning the impact of school choice on student achievement, school productivity, teachers, and special education. It also tackles difficult questions such as whether school choice affects where people decide to live and how choice can be integrated into a system of school financing that gives children from different backgrounds equal access to resources. Contributors discuss the latest findings on Florida's school choice program as well as voucher programs and charter schools in several other states. The resulting volume not only reveals the promise of school choice, but examines its pitfalls as well, showing how programs can be designed that exploit the idea's potential but avoid its worst effects. With school choice programs gradually becoming both more possible and more popular, this book stands out as an essential exploration of the effects such programs will have, and a necessary resource for anyone interested in the idea of school choice.

This book provides a careful historical analysis of the co-evolution of educational attainment and the wage structure in the United States through the twentieth century. The authors propose that the twentieth century was not only the American Century but also the Human Capital Century. That is, the American educational system is what made America the richest nation in the world. Its educational system had always been less elite than that of most European nations. By 1900 the U.S. had begun to educate its masses at the secondary level, not just in the primary schools that had remarkable success in the nineteenth century. The book argues that technological change, education, and inequality have been involved in a kind of race. During the first eight decades of the twentieth century, the increase of educated workers was higher than the demand for them. This had the effect of boosting income for most people and lowering inequality. However, the reverse has been true since about 1980. This educational slowdown was accompanied by rising inequality. The authors discuss the complex reasons for this, and what might be done to ameliorate it.

In developed countries, men’s labor force participation at older ages has increased in recent years, reversing a decades-long pattern of decline. Participation rates for older women have also been rising. What explains these patterns, and the differences in them across countries? The answers to these questions are pivotal as countries face fiscal and retirement security challenges posed by longer life-spans. This eighth phase of the International Social Security project, which compares the social security and retirement experiences of twelve developed countries, documents trends in participation and employment and explores reasons for the rising participation rates of older workers. The chapters use a common template for analysis, which facilitates comparison of results across countries. Using within-country natural experiments and cross-country comparisons, the researchers study the impact of improving health and education, changes in the occupation mix, the retirement incentives of social security programs, and the emergence of women in the workplace, on labor markets. The findings suggest that social security reforms and other factors such as the movement of women into the labor force have played an important role in labor force participation trends.

The bestselling author of Sweet Poison shows us how to get the better of an education system that is costing a fortune in fees, yet failing to deliver. David Gillespie has six kids. When it came time to select high schools, he thought it worth doing some investigation to assess the level of advantage his kids would enjoy if he spent the required $1.3 million to send them all to private schools. Shockingly, the answer was: none whatsoever. Intrigued, David continued his research, only to discover he was wrong on most counts - as are most parents - when it comes to working out what factors deliver a great education. He discovered that class size doesn't matter, your kids aren't any better off in co-ed than single-sex schools (and vice versa), composite classes are fine, fancy buildings are a waste of money, the old-tie network won't cut it in the new industries and NAPLAN is misread by everyone so is largely meaningless as a measure of quality. Taking on an ingrained and historical system of vested interests - the unions, the government, our own sense of worth, privilege and entitlement - this book is controversial and absolutely necessary. It is well researched, authoritative and accessible. It is a must-read for parents, as well as teachers and policy-makers.

To effectively cope with school bullying it is essential to understand the issues underpinning student peer group dynamics in the school, classroom and community and this view lies at the heart of the text. While the experience of bullying others or being victimized is identified with an individual or group the solution lies with the systems eg community, school, classroom or family of which the individual is part. Particular emphasis is given to the role of prosocial behavior and a strengths based perspective in addressing how students cope with school bullying within a systemic context. The text is strongly informed by the author’s experience in developing and conducting national and international school-based anti-bullying and mental health interventions. The book advocates a systems based approach to addressing school bullying as illustrated with a program developed and evaluated by the author called the ‘P.E.A.C.E. Pack: A program for reducing bullying in schools’. This book translates research into practice with a strong evidence-based application drawing on an extensive data base. Each chapter contains practical information and research on school/classroom/community applications, trends and issues in the field and practical ideas for implementing anti-bullying measures. The first two sections consider ways to promote positive peer relations in schools and the dynamics of peer groups. Consideration is then given to cyber bullying and to theories explaining violence, aggression and bullying. Later sections examine the nature and effects of bullying, from early childhood through to adolescence on vulnerable groups, including students with special educational needs and disabilities and LGBTQ young people. The book details information for schools and teachers on ways to collect data and information to inform the interventions and policies of their school. School and classroom based resources for teachers, counsellors and administrators are identified. With school bullying now a matter of international concern not only to children, young people and their caregivers, but to schools and teachers at the forefront, this book will be important reading for all students in psychology, education, health and social welfare, as well as school administrators, teachers, counsellors and childcare professionals.

Is Australia fair enough? And why does inequality matter anyway? In Battlers and Billionaires, Andrew Leigh weaves together vivid anecdotes, interesting history and powerful statistics to tell the story of inequality in this country. This is economics writing at its best. From egalitarian beginnings, Australian inequality rose through the nineteenth century. Then we became more equal again, with inequality falling markedly from the 1920s to the 1970s. Now, inequality is returning to the heights of the 1920s. Leigh shows that while inequality can fuel growth, it also poses dangers to society. Too much inequality risks cleaving us into two Australias, occupying fundamentally separate worlds, with little contact between the haves and the have-nots. And the further apart the rungs on the ladder of opportunity, the harder it is for a kid born into poverty to enter the middle class. Battlers and Billionaires sheds fresh light on what makes Australia distinctive, and what it means to have – and keep – a fair go.

This volume draws together research and practice from the fields of literacy education and inclusion. It provides an insight into current theory, research and issues associated with teaching literacy to all students in inclusive classrooms. Literacy remains a critical success factor for students, as the basis for concurrent and future learning.