Despite the high aspirations of young people from disadvantaged communities, they face barriers that are frustrating the realisation of their educational ambitions.This book analyses the ‘left-behind’ phenomenon and shows how education has become the new divide in Western society. It explains how denied educational equality and frustrated opportunity are undermining social cohesion and what we can do about it. It challenges meritocratic thinking and the efficacy of widening partici...

Over the last few decades, public opinion has been traumatised by revelations of child abuse on a mass scale. It has become the major human rights story of the 21st century in Western society.This ground-breaking book explores the relationship between the media, child abuse and shifting adult–child power relations which,in Western countries, has spawned an ever-expanding range of laws, policies and procedures introduced to address the ‘explosion’of interest in the i...

Continuing professional development (CPD) has become a defining issue in twenty-first century social work. There is widespread consensus in favour of CPD. But what is it? Are there discernible international trends? What are the barriers to participating in CPD? What do social workers think about and want from CPD? This book seeks to answer these questions.Based on a survey and interviews with social work practitioners, CPD in social work offers a unique insight into the possibiliti...

This volume details the development and initial evaluation of a supplemental literacy course intended to support at-risk high school students in the US. Developed using design based research (DBR), the course combines argument writing and knowledge building literacy routines to support academic literacy development.Acknowledging the demand for US students to meet academic literacy standards that emphasize explanatory and argumentative writing, the text foregrounds knowledge buildin...

In the heart of Renaissance Florence, a young Michelangelo Buonarroti struggles to find his place amidst the towering giants of art. As he navigates the treacherous waters of patronage and rivalry, a forbidden love threatens to consume him. Margaret Steele Anderson's "Michael Angelo's Dawn" paints a vivid tapestry of a tumultuous era, where passion, ambition, and the pursuit of beauty collide. Through the eyes of Michelangelo, we witness the birth of masterpieces that would forever shape t...