Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is changing across Europe, reflecting multiple-policy intentions and assumptions about education in early years, and the role of the state in supporting, funding and regulating its institutions. In this article, we examine the evolution of ECEC comparatively in Finland and Sweden, and we explore the shifts…

This study deals with the academisation or "academic drift" of teacher education in the aesthetic subjects in Sweden from the 1970s to the millennium shift. After long preparations that already began after the Second World War, TE, along with other vocational education, was integrated into the Swedish university system as part of the…

This handbook provides a global synthesis of on-going research in education and policy change during the last decade. It examines discourses of globalisation from the perspectives of the global North and global South. Major theories of globalisation and education policy reforms employed in the handbook are classified into two broad categories:…

The horrendous impact of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to unfold. One of the consequences has been the systematic destruction of Ukraine's education system. This OECD publication aims to support Ukrainian policymakers in the twin challenge of ensuring high-quality education can continue and to aid the remodeling of an education…

Since WWII, Sweden has had an international reputation for being modern and progressive, with schooling that provides equal opportunities for all children. Analysing local enactment of the national pursuit of modernisation in two contrasting municipalities, this paper offers new perspectives on Swedish education history beyond the image of…

This book offers an original contribution to the area of international research on comparative education policies and the influence of transnational agencies on national school policy and reform. With a focus on grasping what "the Nordic model" or "the Nordic dimension" means in school and educational policy, the book explores…

The aim for this study is to investigate the role of large-scale data in the formation of Swedish upper secondary programme structures, in relation to gender. In the analysis we draw from theories of hegemonic power relations and the concept of assemblage. The results suggest that large-scale evaluations have taken part in forming a two-by two…

In this article, we illustrate the creation of the education policy paradigm that constitutes the framework of vocational education and training (VET) programmes, and analyse local school representatives' perception of VET in upper secondary schools in Sweden. The education policy paradigm, established through three periods of reform during the…

This paper concerns the relationship between research and governance policy in three Swedish major development projects in mathematics education: the New Math project (1960-1975), the PUMP project (1970-1980), and the Boost for Mathematics project in (2012-2016). All three projects were driven or financed by the Swedish central school authorities.…

Throughout history educational leaders have looked to other countries and have attempted to learn by borrowing useful examples to implement in their own educational systems. As recent comparative policy research shows, processes of policy lending and borrowing have their own socio-historically defined dynamics. In this paper, the authors approach…

Twentieth-century "massification" of higher education and academic research led to mission diversification and structural diversification of national higher education systems (HESs), but also a tendency of non-university colleges to seek to develop into full-scale universities by the emulation of practices of established academic…

Taking the students' perspective, Education Policy Outlook 2018: Putting Student Learning at the Centre analyses the evolution of key education priorities and key education policies in 43 education systems. It compares more recent developments in education policy ecosystems (mainly between 2015 and 2017) with various education policies adopted…

Programmes of international educational exchange are not only carried out for educational purposes, but form an important part of modern-day public diplomacy. Through exchange programmes education and research are linked with foreign policy interests, which then in turn should affect the international contacts of universities and research…

Since the mid-twentieth century, higher education has been subject to spectacular growth. While the expansion of higher education is undoubtedly a general trend, its actual characteristics in terms of its specific conditions and driving forces vary by context. In this article, our aim is to develop such a socio-political historical narrative of…

Understanding today's Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems requires a comprehension of the rise and development, i.e. of the foundations of topical VET. This book provides a comparative view of its development in Europe. The contributions of renowned authors give insight into conceptual questions, cases, and challenges in this field.