John P. Anchan - Böcker

The collapse of communism and the adoption of parliamentary democracy led to rapid and dramatic educational change in countries formerly under the control of the Soviet Union. Leaders of the affected countries acknowledged the need to develop educational systems during the rebuilding process and embraced this transformation in a short period of time. This has provided researchers with a unique opportunity to investigate educational change as a 'living laboratory'.In this book, the authors explore the complex nature of change in five former communist countries: Russia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and East Germany. The authors consider:* Educational change as a process rather than as a event* A comparison of such changes against a model for educational change developed by Michael Fullan for understanding large-scale educational reform* Analysis of issues at the national level where the original impetus for change has occurredWith contributors from countries affected by such changes, this book provides an insight into the process of educational change as a result of revolution rather than evolution.This book will be of great interest to academics and researchers of educational change and those involved with educational reform. It will also interest those looking at comparative education models and postgraduate students focussing their studies on issues of educational change and reform.

Higher education systems around the world are undergoing fundamental change and reform due to external pressures—including internationalization of higher education, increased international competition for students, less reliance on public funding, and calls to create greater access opportunities for citizens. How are higher education systems evolving structurally as a result of these and other pressures? In light of these changes, how can higher education be a positive force for democratizing societies? This book examines the emerging trends taking place in higher education systems around the world, focusing on the most salient political and social forces that underlie these trends. Each chapter provides a case study of a country, exploring its cultural and political history, the political and social developments that have affected its higher education system, and the result of these changes on the higher education system. In a fast-changing, knowledge-intensive, democratic society, Democratizing Higher Education explores how higher education systems can be developed to provide access, affordability, participation, and quality life-long learning for all.