Comparative and International Education: Diversity of Voices – serie

This set of essays critically analyze global citizenship by bringing together leading ideas about citizenship and the commons in this time that both needs and resists a global perspective on issues and relations. Education plays a significant role in how we come to address these issues and this volume will contribute to ensuring that equity, global citizenship, and the common wealth provide platforms from which we might engage in transformational, collective work. The authors address the global significance of debates and struggles about belonging and abjection, solidarity and rejection, identification and othering, as well as love and hate.Global citizenship, as a concept and a practice, is now being met with a dangerous call for insularism and a protracted ethno-nationalism based on global economic imperialism, movements for white supremacy and miscegenation, various forms of religious extremism, and identity politics, but which antithetically, also comes from the anti-globalization movement focused on building strong, sustainable communities. We see a taming of citizens that contributes to the taming of what we understand as the public sphere and the commons, the places of cultural, natural, and intellectual resources that are shared and not privately owned. The work of global citizenship education is distinguishable from the processes of a deadly globalization or destruction of the world that responds to the interlocking issues that make life on the planet precarious for human and non-humans everywhere (albeit an unequal precarity).This book is an invitation into a conversation that explores and makes visible some of the hidden chasms of oppression and inequity in the world. It is meant to provoke both argument and activism as we work to secure common spaces that are broadly life-sustaining.Contributors are: Ali A. Abdi, Sung Kyung Ahn, Chouaib El Bouhali, Xochilt Hernández, Carrie Karsgaard, Marlene McKay, Michael O’Sullivan, Christina Palech, Karen Pashby, Karen J. Pheasant-Neganigwane, Thashika Pillay, Ashley Rerrie, Grace J. Rwiza, Toni Samek, Lynette Shultz, Harry Smaller, Crain Soudien, Derek Tannis, and Irene Friesen Wolfstone.

This set of essays critically analyze global citizenship by bringing together leading ideas about citizenship and the commons in this time that both needs and resists a global perspective on issues and relations. Education plays a significant role in how we come to address these issues and this volume will contribute to ensuring that equity, global citizenship, and the common wealth provide platforms from which we might engage in transformational, collective work. The authors address the global significance of debates and struggles about belonging and abjection, solidarity and rejection, identification and othering, as well as love and hate.Global citizenship, as a concept and a practice, is now being met with a dangerous call for insularism and a protracted ethno-nationalism based on global economic imperialism, movements for white supremacy and miscegenation, various forms of religious extremism, and identity politics, but which antithetically, also comes from the anti-globalization movement focused on building strong, sustainable communities. We see a taming of citizens that contributes to the taming of what we understand as the public sphere and the commons, the places of cultural, natural, and intellectual resources that are shared and not privately owned. The work of global citizenship education is distinguishable from the processes of a deadly globalization or destruction of the world that responds to the interlocking issues that make life on the planet precarious for human and non-humans everywhere (albeit an unequal precarity).This book is an invitation into a conversation that explores and makes visible some of the hidden chasms of oppression and inequity in the world. It is meant to provoke both argument and activism as we work to secure common spaces that are broadly life-sustaining.Contributors are: Ali A. Abdi, Sung Kyung Ahn, Chouaib El Bouhali, Xochilt Hernández, Carrie Karsgaard, Marlene McKay, Michael O’Sullivan, Christina Palech, Karen Pashby, Karen J. Pheasant-Neganigwane, Thashika Pillay, Ashley Rerrie, Grace J. Rwiza, Toni Samek, Lynette Shultz, Harry Smaller, Crain Soudien, Derek Tannis, and Irene Friesen Wolfstone.

PISA and Global Education Policy: Understanding Finland's Success and Influence provides an in-depth investigation for the reasons behind Finland’s success in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Finland’s high performances in every administration of PISA since 2000 have captured worldwide attention. This volume offers a comprehensive exploration into the context of Finland, uncovering its historical, cultural, political, and societal nuances. Furthermore, it delves into the history of Finnish education, providing a strong foundation from which to view the system that produced so much success in PISA. The book analyses empirical data from Finnish professors of education, ministers of education, head teachers, and teachers for the reasons behind Finland’s consistently high outcomes in the survey. It includes viewpoints from OECD officers with direct responsibility for PISA. In addition, it uncovers the impact of Finnish influence on education policy worldwide. Thus, the text presents an analysis of the growing politicisation of international achievement studies such as PISA. The increasingly globalised educational context surrounding PISA calls for an analysis of policy transfer and the already-apparent uncritical policy borrowing of Finnish education policy within the UK context.

PISA and Global Education Policy: Understanding Finland's Success and Influence provides an in-depth investigation for the reasons behind Finland’s success in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Finland’s high performances in every administration of PISA since 2000 have captured worldwide attention. This volume offers a comprehensive exploration into the context of Finland, uncovering its historical, cultural, political, and societal nuances. Furthermore, it delves into the history of Finnish education, providing a strong foundation from which to view the system that produced so much success in PISA. The book analyses empirical data from Finnish professors of education, ministers of education, head teachers, and teachers for the reasons behind Finland’s consistently high outcomes in the survey. It includes viewpoints from OECD officers with direct responsibility for PISA. In addition, it uncovers the impact of Finnish influence on education policy worldwide. Thus, the text presents an analysis of the growing politicisation of international achievement studies such as PISA. The increasingly globalised educational context surrounding PISA calls for an analysis of policy transfer and the already-apparent uncritical policy borrowing of Finnish education policy within the UK context.

Politics of Education in Latin America: Reforms, Resistance and Persistence portrays complex situations of education change policies in Latin America from Argentina and Chile, the southernmost part of the continent, to Mexico, the northernmost. The analyses tour through Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Cuba to conclude with a chapter that scrutinizes why the big teacher unions reject most attempts at education reforms. In these, teachers are the target of criticism and, at the same time, the focus of the expectations for progress and better educational quality.Readers will find a variety of contentious issues such as inclusion, equity, privatization, uses of power, and dialectics between the indications of intergovernmental organizations and the rejection of their recommendations by local political actors. They will also find narratives to raise public education participation, improve the quality of life of teachers, and put local education systems to dialogue with the global world. The politics of education in Latin America is a territory that groups and institutions continue to dispute since the establishment of their education systems.

Politics of Education in Latin America: Reforms, Resistance and Persistence portrays complex situations of education change policies in Latin America from Argentina and Chile, the southernmost part of the continent, to Mexico, the northernmost. The analyses tour through Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Cuba to conclude with a chapter that scrutinizes why the big teacher unions reject most attempts at education reforms. In these, teachers are the target of criticism and, at the same time, the focus of the expectations for progress and better educational quality.Readers will find a variety of contentious issues such as inclusion, equity, privatization, uses of power, and dialectics between the indications of intergovernmental organizations and the rejection of their recommendations by local political actors. They will also find narratives to raise public education participation, improve the quality of life of teachers, and put local education systems to dialogue with the global world. The politics of education in Latin America is a territory that groups and institutions continue to dispute since the establishment of their education systems.

This second volume of Language Issues in Comparative Education, following the tradition of the first, introduces the state of the field, re-establishes core terminology and concepts, and situates the chapters in terms of their contributions to multilingual education based on non-dominant languages. The first group of chapters examines language-in-education policy change, applying an innovative framework to analyze diverse contexts including Mozambique, Estonia and the Philippines. The next group of chapters describes activities designed to implement multilingual education. Using examples from Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nepal, they explore progress in teacher professional development and elaboration of materials for literacy and learning through non-dominant languages. Some highlight new areas of the field, attending to speakers of non-dominant languages other than the ones chosen for instruction, and to the urgent multilingual needs of refugee learners. The final group of chapters presents strategies for research and advocacy, illustrated with examples from DR Congo, Uganda and India. Taken together, these contributions form a cohesive body of work that takes stock of advances in multilingual education and moves the field forward.The authors and editors share a common commitment to comparativism in their methods and analysis, and aim to contribute to a more inclusive and multilingual education for all.See inside the book.

This second volume of Language Issues in Comparative Education, following the tradition of the first, introduces the state of the field, re-establishes core terminology and concepts, and situates the chapters in terms of their contributions to multilingual education based on non-dominant languages. The first group of chapters examines language-in-education policy change, applying an innovative framework to analyze diverse contexts including Mozambique, Estonia and the Philippines. The next group of chapters describes activities designed to implement multilingual education. Using examples from Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nepal, they explore progress in teacher professional development and elaboration of materials for literacy and learning through non-dominant languages. Some highlight new areas of the field, attending to speakers of non-dominant languages other than the ones chosen for instruction, and to the urgent multilingual needs of refugee learners. The final group of chapters presents strategies for research and advocacy, illustrated with examples from DR Congo, Uganda and India. Taken together, these contributions form a cohesive body of work that takes stock of advances in multilingual education and moves the field forward.The authors and editors share a common commitment to comparativism in their methods and analysis, and aim to contribute to a more inclusive and multilingual education for all.See inside the book.

This edited volume concerns Higher Education and the aftermaths of the COVID-19 pandemic. It comprises a wide reflection on the impact of the public health crisis derived from the COVID-19 pandemic on Higher Education and addresses the main question: what will it be like from now on? The collection includes a range of theoretical and methodological approaches highlighting conceptual, contextual and cultural issues; thus the chapters are of rather diverse types, including theoretical essays, exemplary case studies, reports from around the world describing concrete intervention projects, and studies in a wide range of disciplines.Contributors are: Susan Beltman, Dana Crăciun, Morena Cuconato, Weimin Delcroix-Tang, Brigid Freeman, Susana Gonçalves, Tina Hascher, Marta Ilardo, Dong Kwang Kim, Vadim Kozlov, Beatrix Kreß, Pete Leihy, Elena Levina, Elena Luppi, Suzanne Majhanovich, Chenicheri Sid Nair, Monica Oprescu, Nilüfer Pembecioğlu, Allan Pitman, Aurora Ricci, Rachel Sheffield, Upasana Singh, Ian Teo, Tatiana Tregubova, Rashmi Watson and Pete Woodcock.

This edited volume concerns Higher Education and the aftermaths of the COVID-19 pandemic. It comprises a wide reflection on the impact of the public health crisis derived from the COVID-19 pandemic on Higher Education and addresses the main question: what will it be like from now on? The collection includes a range of theoretical and methodological approaches highlighting conceptual, contextual and cultural issues; thus the chapters are of rather diverse types, including theoretical essays, exemplary case studies, reports from around the world describing concrete intervention projects, and studies in a wide range of disciplines.Contributors are: Susan Beltman, Dana Crăciun, Morena Cuconato, Weimin Delcroix-Tang, Brigid Freeman, Susana Gonçalves, Tina Hascher, Marta Ilardo, Dong Kwang Kim, Vadim Kozlov, Beatrix Kreß, Pete Leihy, Elena Levina, Elena Luppi, Suzanne Majhanovich, Chenicheri Sid Nair, Monica Oprescu, Nilüfer Pembecioğlu, Allan Pitman, Aurora Ricci, Rachel Sheffield, Upasana Singh, Ian Teo, Tatiana Tregubova, Rashmi Watson and Pete Woodcock.

Comparative Education: A Field in Discussion is a personal reflection on the field of comparative education from the perspective of one scholar who has been active in the field since the 1980s. In the 1960s and 1970s many scholars attempted to develop a science of comparative education, and those diverse efforts formed the backdrop to the study of comparative education in the 1980s. In this volume, the author, who was originally educated as a physical scientist, draws upon those earlier attempts, at the same time introducing new insights from the complexity of science and systems theory.David Turner argues that these new insights should lead us away from a positivist vision of science, largely based on nineteenth century ideas of scientific method, and challenge us to accept that concepts are fluid, change over time, and are frequently contested. Nonetheless, those same concepts are essential to the way that we think of ourselves, our environment and the institutions that we inhabit.Caught between the generalisations that our concepts force on us, and our wish to capture the specificity of each personal history, the activity that we engage in is comparative education.

Comparative Education: A Field in Discussion is a personal reflection on the field of comparative education from the perspective of one scholar who has been active in the field since the 1980s. In the 1960s and 1970s many scholars attempted to develop a science of comparative education, and those diverse efforts formed the backdrop to the study of comparative education in the 1980s. In this volume, the author, who was originally educated as a physical scientist, draws upon those earlier attempts, at the same time introducing new insights from the complexity of science and systems theory.David Turner argues that these new insights should lead us away from a positivist vision of science, largely based on nineteenth century ideas of scientific method, and challenge us to accept that concepts are fluid, change over time, and are frequently contested. Nonetheless, those same concepts are essential to the way that we think of ourselves, our environment and the institutions that we inhabit.Caught between the generalisations that our concepts force on us, and our wish to capture the specificity of each personal history, the activity that we engage in is comparative education.

International organizations play an important role in the development of education around the world. Some have a direct impact on the rights of children and parents in education, while others have an indirect impact by addressing such issues as health, welfare or finance. Prominent among the most influential international organizations are the members of the United Nations family of agencies, although regional development banks and trade union organisations also play important roles. And no mention of international organizations would be complete without reference to the PISA programme of the OECD, although the OECD does much more in the field of education.The Role of International Organizations in Education provides an introductory background to the operation of organisations that have had a direct and lasting impact on the implementation of educational policy in an international context. The accounts provided give researchers and practitioners to the field an initial account of the organizations, their development over the last seven decades, and their changing influence on the practice of education. By including voices from countries on the receiving end of international policies, the volume also introduces some of the debates that pervade in the field of international education.

Understanding the processes related to gender construction requires a multi and interdisciplinary approach. Complexity emerges as a category of investigation and an end to be pursued, giving space to a plurality of voices, interpretations, and points of view. With such intellectual curiosity, the volume's authors questioned the inclusion and exclusion of these multiple voices in education. How has teaching on gender made room for this complexity? What views were included? Which ones were overlooked? What have educational models for children been privileged in the imagination? Which histories and stories have accompanied them in acquiring an awareness linked to gender? Through such important questions and many more, the volume highlights the gender changes that took place from mid-eighteen century to today in various contexts relating to formal and informal education through an international comparative perspective. The multiplicity of approaches, methodologies, and perspectives allows us to read and analyze these changes in a composite way, underlining little-known aspects of gender studies in the historical-educational field.

Understanding the processes related to gender construction requires a multi and interdisciplinary approach. Complexity emerges as a category of investigation and an end to be pursued, giving space to a plurality of voices, interpretations, and points of view. With such intellectual curiosity, the volume's authors questioned the inclusion and exclusion of these multiple voices in education. How has teaching on gender made room for this complexity? What views were included? Which ones were overlooked? What have educational models for children been privileged in the imagination? Which histories and stories have accompanied them in acquiring an awareness linked to gender? Through such important questions and many more, the volume highlights the gender changes that took place from mid-eighteen century to today in various contexts relating to formal and informal education through an international comparative perspective. The multiplicity of approaches, methodologies, and perspectives allows us to read and analyze these changes in a composite way, underlining little-known aspects of gender studies in the historical-educational field.