This book reflects the field of comparative education as it has emerged in the 1990s. In a collection of 18 essays, leading scholars illuminate worldwide trends in critical issues that confront policymakers and practitioners in different national settings. Following the introduction by Robert F. Arnove, Philip G. Altbach, and Gail P. Kelly, part 1 contains one chapter, "Debates and Trends in Comparative Education," by Gail P. Kelly. Part 2, which examines world trends in education, contains the following articles: (2) "Compulsory Schooling in the Western Cultural Context" (John Boli and Francisco O. Ramirez); (3) "Patterns in Higher Education Development: Toward the Year 2000" (Philip G. Altbach); (4) "Donor Agencies and Third World Educational Development, 1945-1985" (Edward H. Berman); (5) "Modernization without Westernization: Assessing the Chinese Educational Experience" (Ruth Hayhoe); and (6) "The Neo-Conservative Paradigm: Recent Changes in Eastern Europe" (Tamas Kozma). Part 3, which presents theoretical frameworks, includes the following three chapters: (7) "Conceptualizing Education and the Drive for Social Equality" (Joseph P. Farrell); (8) "Conceptualizing the Role of Education in the Economy" (Peter Easton and Steven Klees); and (9) "Education and the State: From Adam Smith to Perestroika" (Martin Carnoy). The fourth part, "Contemporary Reform Movements and Emergent Issues" includes the following chapters: (10) "Reforming Educational Governance: Centralization/Decentralization" (Noel F. McGinn); (11) "Public and Private Sectors in Education in India" (Jandhyala B. G. Tilak); (12) "Comparing National Systems of Secondary Schools Leaving Examinations" (Harold J. Noah and Max A. Eckstein); (13) "A Cross-National Study of Teachers" (Harry Judge); (14) "Education Reform in Britain and the United States" (Miriam David); and (15) "Effective Schools in Comparative Focus" (Harry M. Levin). Part 5, "Assessing the Outcomes of Reforms" contains three chapters: (16) "Policy Impact of IEA Research" (Torsten Husen); (17) "Education, Women, and Change" (Gail P. Kelly); and (18) "National Literacy Campaigns in Historical and Comparative Perspective: Legacies, Lessons, and Issues" (Robert F. Arnove and Harvey J. Graff). Endnotes and an index are included. (LMI)