Education Policy as a Roadmap for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Alison Taysum is lecturer in Education at the University of Leicester, UK. She leads an international research team currently focusing on implementing A Blueprint for Character Development for Evolution (ABCDE). ABCDE is a tool that empowers citizens to map how to replace fear with moral virtues of social justice courage and prudence incrementally. ABCDE empowers citizens to mobilise learning to propel diverse communities to know how to i) conduct moral inquiries into societal institutions that represents the diversity of the population and ii) hold accountable ethical leadership of societal institutions. Alison is Programme Director for the MSc Educational Leadership, and supervises doctoral students.

"Professor Taysum provides a keen analysis and critical insights into the forces of neo-liberalism and its corrosive impact on democratic life. But she does not stop there; her book goes on to show how schools may be used as powerful counterweights to this troubling trend. This book is global in scope and courageous in its objective to link a powerful strategy to respond to complex conditions that threaten the chances for equity and a decent life for the vast majority of people around the world. Her work is deeply scholarly including perennial and contemporary thinkers to support her analysis of conditions and possible responses. Importantly the concepts that she references from theorists and philosophers are used to support her concrete and innovative agenda for serious change. This book is set in the camp of democratic values, especially as they pertain to the lives of students in primary and secondary schools. Moral and ethical learning as well as character development are high priorities, in and beyond school settings. Professor Taysum wisely connects formal education to the wider world and its institutions. She clearly displays her commitment to social justice and an equitable society on an international scale. She has taken on a monumental task and has delivered a timely and highly constructive book that will be of interest to anyone concerned with the future of a democratic life for this and following generations.”Professor Steven Gross, Professor Emeritus, Educational Leadership, Temple University, USA

• Chapter 1. To rationalise apriori or not to rationalise apriori; is that an empirical question? Chapter 2. The Policy Context; challenging the crisis of contemporary culture and popularism with ABCDE to achieve SDG 4 Chapter 3. Assessment for Personal and Social learning; a Deweyan perspective for education, and inclusion  Chapter 4. Creating democratic identities for a social contract Chapter 5. Replacing the hierarchical Master in a social contract with autonomous citizens actively participating within the force of the common whole Chapter 6. Educational Leaders using ABCDE to explore human behaviours in social contracts in relation to embedded and disembedded economies. Chapter 7. Groundwork Case Study of Universities Building capacity for Education, Inclusion and Philosophies of Trust through doctoral study; the literature and methodologies Chapter 8. Case Studies of Higher Education Building capacity for Education, Inclusion, identity and Philosophies of Trust through the doctorate; the findings Chapter 9. A Masters 'Level 7 EQF' Training Course to deliver ABCDE through APSL to EYSIER Chapter 10. Step by Step application of A Blueprint for Character Development for Evolution (ABCDE) and A Framework for Assessment for Learning and progress towards Sustainable Development Goals Chapter 11. To rationalise apriori or not to rationalise apriori; is that an empirical question? Chapter 12. Conclusions to Education Policy as a Road Map for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals