The purpose of this article is to present a case of national achievement assessment at the primary level within a formative approach. Many countries experience an increasing obligation to attach high stakes to national assessments, which results in greater pressure on teachers and schools. The author's view is that this kind of approach is…

This article describes Cecilia Braslavsky's role in the development of theoretical frameworks based on empirical research that, in the stage of restoration of democracy in Latin America, made it possible to advance in the construction of a Latin American socioeducational paradigm. This article discusses some propositions that may systematize the…

In this article, the author pays tribute to Cecilia Braslavsky by reviewing writings, interviews, and articles authored exclusively by her. Cecilia was a source of inexhaustible inspiration, not only because of her ideas and writings, but because of the force of her convictions and passion with which she tackled the work of researching, teaching,…

On 4 November 2004, the Collegia of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation discussed priorities for the development of the education system in the country. The document examined during that meeting identified a number of problems in the implementation of educational reforms in Russia. Among the problems identified was the…

In this article, the authors pay tribute to Cecilia Braslavsky, a pedagogue who combined knowledge, reflection, and action. The authors focus on what she considered to be the third stage in her professional career, that is, her time at the Ministry of Education, participating actively in the application of the Federal Education Law passed in 1993.…

This article profiles Juana P. Manso, who was a writer, translator, journalist, teacher and precursor of feminism in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. In 1840 she moved with her family to Montevideo (Uruguay), exiled under the regime of Juan Manuel de Rosas, who was governing the territory of the United Provinces of the River Plate. During Rosas'…

An Inter-agency Panel of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) experts, drawn from seven United Nations and other international agencies, was one of the highlights in the programme of UNESCO's International Experts Meeting "Learning for Work, Citizenship and Sustainability" (Bonn, Germany, 25-28 October 2004). The Panel was…

According to a 2004 International Labour Organization (ILO) report, young people represent 130 million of the world's 550 million working poor who are unable to lift themselves and their families above the equivalent of the $1 per day poverty line. These young people struggle to survive, often performing work under unsatisfactory conditions in the…

The article focuses on how the present vocational education and training (VET) system in Australia might be modified to better accommodate possible VET futures change. It begins with the premise that VET's role is to contribute to skills acquisition through "formal" education and training. The authors propose a simple VET futures role and purpose…

This article addresses the problem that many countries lack a strategic orientation in reforming their vocational education and training (VET) systems, and therefore refers to the added value of a distinct VET strategy within an overall education sector strategy. To start with, the authors provide an answer to the questions "What is strategy?" and…

Developing countries such as Malaysia and Oman have recently established occupational standards based on core work processes (functional clusters of work objects, activities and performance requirements), to which competencies (performance determinants) can be linked. While the development of work-process-based occupational standards is supposed…

The empirical approach referred to in this article describes the relationship between education and training (ET) supply and employment in Austria; the use of the new ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) fields of study variable makes this approach applicable abroad. The purpose is to explore a system that produces timely…

This article describes two administrative data sources--UCAS applicant data and Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA) data--and demonstrates how they can be utilised to monitor the progression of students from vocational and educational training (VET) programmes in to higher education (HE) in the UK. First the article provides a general…

Peer learning has already existed for a long time, as an informal as well as a formal practice between people from the same professional area. However, peer learning systems on the macro level are relatively newer concepts. Policy learning can be fostered by various types of organised activities, ranging from peer review frameworks, which often…

The revitalisation of African higher education has been a policy imperative on the agenda of many international and African organisations in the last decade, as well as a focus for research and debate. Revitalisation is a theme which is itself framed by a larger set of current discourses about the powerful role of knowledge in society and in the…