Mary James FAcSS retired in January 2014 as Professor and Associate Director of Research at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education.
At the end of 2008 she took up a part-time post as Associate Director of Research at the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.
Throughout her career in teaching and research, Mary has been interested in finding out what teachers might do to improve learning by investigating what happens in their interactions with students, the curriculum and school structures.
After moving into higher education, this interest initially developed into research and teaching on school self-evaluation and teacher action-research.
During a period of five years (1985–90) when she was involved in a large government-funded evaluation of records of achievement schemes (PRAISE), she became increasingly interested in the idea that assessment by teachers in classrooms could be a powerful tool for improving learning.