This article offers a systematic review of the evolution of research impact assessment in Australia and the UK. We consider its inception and detail the development of relevant policy and procedures in each country. The article sets out the results of a comparative analysis of public policy documents, newspaper commentary, and academic literature…

Attacks on education, both physical and symbolic in nature, have various motives and consequences, and thus attempts at comparison can be challenging. This article is a descriptive comparative analysis of political attacks on higher education, defined for this purpose as attacks supported, ignored, or perpetuated by political powers. The units of…

This analysis covers the period from 1925 to 2016 in respect of constructing national and global goals and targets in education and training. Tensions between global and national approaches to target-setting are identified. Equally, the ownership of the global target discourse is discussed along with its contested relevance to both developed and…

School choice advocates often assume that market-like competition will create a dynamic K-12 educational environment that will result in improved outcomes. We critically examine this assumption and draw on the literature on market failure and social dilemmas to demonstrate that the market metaphor in a public schooling context has limited utility.…

This paper examines the outstanding performance of Shanghai, China on PISA 2009 and its effects on other national systems and within the global education policy field. The OECD's PISA is helping to create this field by constituting the globe as a commensurate space of school system performance. The effects of Shanghai's success are considered in…

Some of the similarities and differences in the news media coverage of the United States presidential campaign of 1980 are discussed in this paper. Among the differences related are the loss of the symbolic power of tbe primary elections, which forced the media to look for significant trends elsewhere; the mixture of politics with the…

Reviews "Educational Reform and Administrative Development: The Cases of Colombia and Venezuela," by E. Mark Hanson, which relates the policy-making and administrative structures of these two countries to their political, historical, and cultural contexts. (TE)

This comparative historical study examines political centralism in China in the Imperial Examination and the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE). Both systems served the political needs of the ruling classes and the commoners, although in a limited way for the latter. The Imperial Examination was once a positive force for social…

To examine political debate formats with regard to past usage and future possibilities, an analysis was made of the format features of the 1960, 1976, and 1980 general election presidential debates. Also analyzed were the formats used in the primary debates for Democratic presidential candidates in 1976 and for the Republican presidential…

Compares Australia's and Britains' higher education "binary system," consisting of university and non-university (colleges of advanced education or polytechnics) sectors. Examines problems, politics, and processes involved when institutions attempt to bridge sectors. Reviews examples of cross-sectorial amalgamation in both countries and…

Examines the role that party control, state political culture, black voting strength, and some socioeconomic variables play in shaping a climate conducive to the employment of black faculty in public higher education. Of particular interest is the role of party control on the redistributive effects of affirmative action. (GLR)

International scholarly effort in the comparative study of adult education has increased substantially over the past 20 years. The relationship between the state and adult education is one area, however, that has remained relatively neglected by researchers. In many countries, adult education has been largely the responsibility of voluntary…

Primarily concerned with the past development of the politics of education, this paper also looks at likely future directions and progress. First, it seeks to review briefly the growing body of research carried out from 1973 until 1980. Second, it evaluates the progress made since the beginning of 1973 in the development of the politics of…

Compares attempts and outcomes in Fiji junior secondary schools and in Kiribati community high schools to provide alternative schooling of either vocational or local/practical orientation. Focuses on nature of educational decision-making process and influence of public pressures on planners and politicians. Identifies new and influential factors…

Compares educational change in Zimbabwe and South Africa in the two years after those countries' first democratic elections. Although change in Zimbabwe was characterized by a rapid expansion of service in response to popular demand, South Africa has emphasized changes in policymaking processes with little change in the delivery of educational…