In the World Library of Educationalists, international experts themselves compile career-long collections of what they judge to be their finest pieces – extracts from books, key articles, salient research findings, major theoretical and practical contributions – so the world can read them in a single manageable volume, allowing readers to follow the themes of their work and see how it contributes to the development of the field.

Mary James has researched and written on a range of educational subjects which encompass curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in schools, and implications for teachers´ professional development, school leadership and policy frameworks. She has written many books and journals on assessment, particularly assessment for learning and is an expert on teacher learning, curriculum, leadership for learning and educational policy.

Starting with a specially written introduction in which Mary gives an overview of her career and contextualises her selection, the chapters are divided into three parts:

• Educational Assessment and Learning
• Educational Evaluation and Curriculum Development
• Educational Research and the Improvement of Practice

Through this book, readers can follow the different strands that Mary James has researched and written about over the last three decades, and clearly see her important contribution to the field of education.

"It is undoubtedly an accolade to be among the select few leading international academics chosen for inclusion in this World Library of Educationalists series. It suggests, rightly, that Mary E. James has made a world leading contribution in her chosen field of assessment and evaluation. … Readers who pick up this volume, whether they have lived through the turbulent years that James describes or who are relatively new to the fray, will recognise the message of this collection concerning what matters in educational research – quality, utility, accessibility and a fundamental desire to improve the business of learning. The collection is a fitting tribute to the contribution of a recent President of the British Educational Research Association. It is a tribute to what it and all educational research should stand for." - Patricia Broadfoot, Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, UK, in The Curriculum Journal

Professor Mary E. James works part-time for the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge as Associate Director of Research. She is also President of the British Educational Research Association.