Latest research

Exam success for pupils in Scotland's schools may have more to do with their parents than which school they attend, according to new research.

Government figures consistently show independent schools outperforming state comprehensives.

But a study by Edinburgh University suggests there is little difference between exam pass rates at private and state schools if the parents are middle-class and well educated.

The lead researcher said: "The influence that parents have on how their children progress is far greater than the influence of schools, after taking into account what they will be able to provide for their children regardless of which school that child attends."

More cancer in female teachers

California's female teachers have sharply higher rates of a host of cancers, including breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer, than women of the same age and race statewide.

While the reasons for the higher cancer incidences aren't entirely clear, the lead researcher said much of the risk may be explained by the teachers' reproductive histories: On average, those in the study delayed having children until they were older, if they had them at all; and at later ages, a high proportion used hormone replacement therapy.

In this respect, California teachers may be no different from other educated, relatively affluent women with lifelong careers, the researchers, from the University of Southern California, pointed out.

The internet generation

Children in Britain apparently know more about the internet than about books, a survey suggests.

Six out of 10 youngsters questioned knew that "homepage" was the front page of a website - but only nine per cent could explain what the preface to a book was.

More than a third knew that "hardback" was a type of book, but 57 per cent identified "hard drive" as part of a computer.

Children said they were regularly using the internet to help with their school work. Almost three-quarters had used the net to find information for a project, and just over half said that what they had learned online had directly improved their grades.

Learning gap starts before school

The learning gap between rich and poor children begins to form even before the children start school, according to a study carried out by the University of Michigan, US.

The study looked at incoming kindergarten students. It found that the most impoverished kindergarteners achieved mathematics scores that were 60 per cent lower than those of pupils from the richest families on tests conducted for the survey.

The study also found that young children from middle-income families also lagged far behind their wealthy peers, leading one researcher to remark: "This is not just a poor person's problem, but middle-class families need help as well."