This paper offers a conceptual analysis of ability discourse using the theoretical lens of critical whiteness studies and the methodological framework of critical discourse analysis. From its origins in the Progressive Era to contemporary debates on tracking, the concept of giftedness has been formed through racial projects throughout US history.…

This article explores John Dewey's Depression-era analysis of "liberalism" in an effort to clarify our own neoliberal moment. As Dewey argues, liberalism is a term used in the 1930s to signify diverse and often contradictory meanings. It variously refers to a minimalist state aimed at unbinding markets (laissez-faire liberalism) or…

From the 1830s the colonial government in India became the agency for the promotion of "Western education", that is, education that sought to disseminate modern, Western, rational knowledge through modern institutions and pedagogic processes. This paper examines a historical episode in which certain key categories of modern Western thought were…

Academic development has played a significant role in creating university "learning and teaching" as an object of policy scrutiny and intervention. While academic development is a new field, its practices have been productive of new learning and teaching regimes in both the global "north" and "south". This paper explores the emergence of academic…

Given the ecumenical pleas and legislative imperatives for more inclusive educational policy and practice, Cyprus has been steadfastly heading towards the realignment of its educational legislation towards a more inclusive discourse. This has been especially true after the implacable criticisms that the UNESCO report cast on the Cyprus educational…

Considerable problems have arisen in New Zealand universities as a consequence of the conflict between the statutory role of the university as the "critic and conscience of society" and the dominant intellectual orthodoxy of cultural essentialism. A number of examples are used to show the extent to which culturalist ideological conformity…

This article takes a broad, and somewhat personal, sweep across the last 30 years or so of educational history in the United Kingdom (UK)and highlights some of the challenges concerning research, policy and practice on teaching and learning which developed over the period. Issues associated with academic agency are considered and a narrative of…

The article explores the relationship between sociology and sociology of education in the United Kingdom (UK), with specific reference to the development of a sociology of higher education. Though the article is mainly concerned with the UK, the broader issues raised, about the status and location of the sociology of education in relation to…

Quietly, without attracting too much attention from educational sociologists in Europe, a massive process has been underway for five years that is expected to revolutionize European higher education to an unprecedented extent. Launched by a number of European governments and subsequently taken over by the European Commission, the so-called Bologna…

Describes the general framework of the teacher training system and its recent reform in Japan. Reviews the present system of Japanese teacher education, summarizes the current reforms of teacher education in Japan, and explores various educational problems. Evaluates the potential of Japanese restructuring. (CMK)

Explores whether teacher training standards have made it more difficult for teacher educators to enable student teachers to become reflective teachers. Argues that the standards ignore important issues related to equality in the classroom and the relationship between education and the state. Includes references. (CMK)

Presents a socio-historical analysis of teacher education in England tracing the changing agents and nature of control of the enterprise since its inception. Illustrates the evolution from church through university, to state control, and the limited role of the teaching and teacher education professions in each. Includes references. (CMK)

States that if universities are to remain key players in initial teacher education, they must support university-based initial teacher educators. Presents data that was found during interviews conducted between 1998 and 1999 focusing on the ways teacher educators define their professional credibility. Includes references. (CMK)

Argues that the major goal of educational policy in Portugal is involving parents in their children's education, transforming parents from "hostile" to "responsible." Explores two forms of the responsible parent characterized on the basis of official legislation on the home-school relationship and empirical work in two Portuguese schools. (CMK)