Since the 1988 Education Reform Act, our education system has undergone dramatic changes and this in turn has raised a number of controversial issues and questions. This reader brings together key articles, both recently published and specially commissioned, which address these issues and place them in context. Issues covered include: *the curriculum * teaching and learning *assessment *school effectiveness and improvement. Various themes run throughout the book include, the quest for quality within a social context, the application of theory and research to practice, and the positive roles played by both teachers and students in adapting to recent change.