Research into Education: A Headmaster's View

What do we in the schools want from the researchers? A headmaster states his belief in the individual school as the vital organism, as the unit of education, and in the need for greater flexibility in the staffing of our schools so that practising teachers may be free to take part in educational research. The researchers are asked whether they can find solutions to a number of problems: How do the State systems solve the problem of too great mobility of staff while maintaining equality of opportunity? What is the optimum size of a school and what is the optimum age range for a secondary school? Is there value in the boy's identifying himself with his school? What is a good school, and what is a well‐disciplined school? The researchers are asked for more standardized achievement tests; for more work on the development of reading habits and skills in schools; for further curriculum research; for help in measuring ‘readiness’; for insights into motivation and classroom interaction.