John Buchanan is an Associate Professor in the School of International Studies and Education at the University of Technology Sydney. He has taught at primary, secondary and tertiary levels and is a recipient of teaching awards at institution, state and national levels, and has coordinated international programs, including the International Professional Experience, in the School. His teaching and research interests include retention, attrition and quality of teachers, English as an additional language, LOTE (Languages other than English) education, intercultural, regional and global studies, and civics and citizenship education. He has published more than 60 refereed journal articles, books and book chapters in these fields and has supervised more than a dozen higher degree research students on related topics. He has also presented at numerous international conferences, including invited plenary addresses in Korea, Pakistan, Colombia and the United Arab Emirates. He has contributed to and led numerous funded research projects with a combined total of over $1.5 million. He is a past president of the New South Wales Institute for Educational Research.

• Part 1: The State of Play.- Chapter 1. Introduction and Context.- Chapter 2. The Purpose of Education.- Chapter 3. Why Are We Falling Behind?.- Part 2: The Players.- Chapter 4. 'If I Could Just Teach'.- Chapter 5. The Pressures on, and of, Curriculum.- Chapter 6. Basic, Basal Skills and their Effects on Higher Order Thinking.- Chapter 7. The Standardisation of Teaching.- Chapter 8. Teacher Professional Assessment and Teacher Professional Development.- Chapter 9. Student Evaluation as a Driver of Education Delivery.- Chapter 10. Digital Devices, Online Learning and All That: How They Are Shaping Education.- Part 3: Playing Our Part.- Chapter 11. Which Future? A Note of Hope.- Chapter 12. Recommendations: What We Know and What We Can Do.

John Buchanan is an Associate Professor in the School of International Studies and Education at the University of Technology Sydney. He has taught at primary, secondary and tertiary levels and is a recipient of teaching awards at institution, state and national levels, and has coordinated international programs, including the International Professional Experience, in the School. His teaching and research interests include retention, attrition and quality of teachers, English as an additional language, LOTE (Languages other than English) education, intercultural, regional and global studies, and civics and citizenship education. He has published more than 60 refereed journal articles, books and book chapters in these fields and has supervised more than a dozen higher degree research students on related topics. He has also presented at numerous international conferences, including invited plenary addresses in Korea, Pakistan, Colombia and the United Arab Emirates. He has contributed to and led numerous funded research projects with a combined total of over $1.5 million. He is a past president of the New South Wales Institute for Educational Research.

• Part 1: The State of Play.- Chapter 1. Introduction and Context.- Chapter 2. The Purpose of Education.- Chapter 3. Why Are We Falling Behind?.- Part 2: The Players.- Chapter 4. 'If I Could Just Teach'.- Chapter 5. The Pressures on, and of, Curriculum.- Chapter 6. Basic, Basal Skills and their Effects on Higher Order Thinking.- Chapter 7. The Standardisation of Teaching.- Chapter 8. Teacher Professional Assessment and Teacher Professional Development.- Chapter 9. Student Evaluation as a Driver of Education Delivery.- Chapter 10. Digital Devices, Online Learning and All That: How They Are Shaping Education.- Part 3: Playing Our Part.- Chapter 11. Which Future? A Note of Hope.- Chapter 12. Recommendations: What We Know and What We Can Do.