In its "adolescent" phase of development, comparative education engaged with a wide variety of social theories. The next period of comparative education scholarship is likely to be characterized by a focus on global trends, rigorous blending of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and commitment to pursuing more general insights about how…

Two reviews of an ambitious comparative study of elementary classroom practices and realities in the United States (Michigan), England, France, Russia, and India. There is no single definition of best practice in education, for both means and ends are culturally specific. Recent English educational policy emphasizing a generic definition and…

In light of globalization-driven educational demands and growing student alienation, there is a pressing need to reevaluate the cultural context of schooling and learning. Comparative education studies have potential to illuminate the complex interplay of personal, social, and structural factors that influence student engagement in particular…

Reflects on Nigel Grant's contribution to the development of comparative education as a scholarly field, as a researcher, writer, and teacher of countless students. Discusses the history of university scholarship and the teacher-student relationship since the first European universities, contemporary debates about the purpose of education, and the…

Western education systems have become globally embedded, and comparative education, by focusing on the delivery model of education, reinforces the status quo. A neo-comparative education would focus on learning and its relationship with culture as a means of understanding how individuals can be encouraged to engage with the many emerging forms of…

Compares the beliefs, goals, and teaching methods of French and English elementary school teachers working in areas of disadvantage to illuminate how teachers in the two countries resolve the dilemmas involved in providing equal educational opportunities to all children. Research before and after recent educational reforms indicates the central…

Uses France and England--because of their radically different institutional and ideological traditions in education--to illustrate common trends in educational accountability. Explains general trends affecting advanced capitalist societies at the present time, e.g., the use of corporate management approaches in education and the adoption of…

Identifies differences between primary school teachers in England and France in the areas of conceptions of accountability, teacher role in relation to parents, and the nature of teaching. Proposes six broad themes based on teachers' perceptions of their work: collectivism/individualism, universalism/particularism, role…

Comparative research on teachers' perspectives and classroom behavior must focus both on external systematic and institutional influences and on individual differences in teacher personality and background. One such systematic study of French and English elementary school teachers identified "meta-national" similarities and international, local,…