Many have argued that, despite the meritocratic ideals of equal access and social mobility that underpin examination-governed education hierarchies, the rural majority are typically excluded or eliminated in the early stages of the competition. The scholastic nature of the uniform curricula, much of which has little relevance to rural life,…

In 1997, the Santiago office of UNESCO implemented an assessment of student achievement in Latin America, working in collaboration with 13 Latin American ministries of education. Using a common sampling methodology and survey instruments, researchers in each country collected representative samples of data on third- and fourth-grade achievement in…

British government policies promoting public-private partnerships enabled the privatization of failing schools. In the U.S., the private sector has drawn upon a political network of well-financed institutions to advance privatized education, most recently among charter schools. Privatization has not yet been very successful, but promises to be…

During debates in the Greek parliament about the 1997-98 educational reform, comparative argumentation was used by all political parties. Comparative arguments focused on educational realities in the European Union and North America, notably comprehensive schools, teacher appointments, and evaluation methods. Comparative data influenced the…

In post-apartheid South Africa, a lack of adequate resources and political expertise obstructed implementation of a new outcomes-based curriculum. A policy review committee subsequently made sweeping recommendations for implementation. The experience highlights the need to determine the role of education and what schools can realistically…

A study compared the attainment of national vocational qualifications (NVQs) in Scotland and other U.K. regions. Data from the Labour Force Survey and case studies indicate that Scotland underperforms England in the attainment of NVQs, suggesting improved performance in the achievement of academic and traditional vocational qualifications in…

Taiwanese teachers enjoy higher occupational prestige and greater job satisfaction than teachers elsewhere. These outcomes are attributed to favorable government policies in teacher education and schooling over past decades. Cultural, historical, and political traditions have shaped the high social status of Taiwanese teachers. The effects of…

Although separate schooling for cultural minorities is not usually favored in Western societies, a strong case can be made for recognizing the legitimacy of Korean ethnic schools in Japan. The oppression of ethnic schools has resulted from a discriminatory assimilation policy, not the application of liberal principles intended to achieve greater…

Examines political aspects of international aid to education in Latin America, focusing on drastic ideological changes in the widespread shift from the liberal to the neoliberal state. Analyzes dilemmas and tensions of external aid, touching on the World Bank's roles and elements of its lending processes, particularly research policies. Addresses…

A former employee of the World Bank discusses the logic behind multilateral development banks and how they operate, bank ideology and the nature of policy formation, educational and other reforms as loan conditions, the inability of development banks to enforce implementation of their policies in countries receiving loans, and whether the banks…

An overview of Mexican history since the Revolution (1917) examines the centrality of the middle class in the development of the corporativist state and its recent unraveling, the role assigned to and played by education within the corporativist political configuration, and how a corporativist state conditions educational systems and practices. A…

A review of eight books on Latin American education, published after 1995, analyzes the process by which Latin American "discursive space" is constructed in the educational literature. Similarities in the principles dominating recent educational reforms and the main perspectives in the literature that "explain" these similarities are indicative of…

The view that competition initiatives in education, such as Chile's introduction of vouchers, promote socioeconomic segregation in schools is questioned. Chile and Argentina have faced very different decentralization reforms, carried out within different regulatory frameworks, but have arrived at similar situations in terms of schools'…

Analyzes ways in which Latin American countries have addressed curricular regulation from the late 19th century to the present, focusing on education reforms during the 1990s in Argentina. Examines textbook policies over time and the tensions between recent decentralization policies and increasingly centralized educational assessment. (Contains 28…

Explores issues of academic freedom and autonomy in various systems of higher education in Latin America, with emphasis on the Brazilian case. Analyzes the issues of financial and administrative autonomy and tensions between the universities and the state during three historical periods: 1920s-50s, 1960s-70s, and 1980s-90s. (Contains 28…