The research was co-ordinated by Professor Peter Mortimore, Director of the Institute of Education and carried out by two teams, one in Singapore and one in London. Both identified elements essential for lasting change that were present in each school's improvement programme. The teams also found that though the four schools used many similar strategies, the different contexts in which they were operating meant that similar actions did not always produce similar results. The educational, cultural and socio-economic differences, however, made the Singaporean setting more conducive to success than the London context. In Singapore, education is held in high esteem and teachers enjoy high status in the community.
Pupils generally respect their teachers, take pride in being studious and behave well in class.
Views of intelligence. In Singapore, many people think that anyone who works hard and puts in consistent effort will succeed. This contrasts with a popular western view that intelligence is inborn and that, although hard work helps, success is mainly a result of natural endowments. The motivating effect of good career prospects in Singapore, which for several years, has enjoyed full employment. In both settings those from disadvantaged homes generally performed less well in competitive exams than their more advantaged peers.