The economic modernization drive of the 21st century has not only fostered the growth of a market economy but has also created the need for a structural change in education (Zha, 2006). Mok (2009) explains that when the Chinese government realized that the state alone could not keep up with the increasing demand for higher education, it allowed…

When people dive into the varied texts of culture, print and non-print, and explore and critique them, they are doing much more than showing various persuasive appeals or advertising gimmicks to sway their audience; they are examining the purposes and values of capitalism, the economic system that produces a consumerocracy. People might even turn…

The interplay of public and private sector dynamics in higher education has impacted not only on the roles and identities of academic staff, but also on those of professional staff, who often have the task of bringing together, and achieving congruence between, activities that are geared towards the public good and also towards more commercially…

In this review essay, Kathleen Knight Abowitz discusses three recent books related to democratic public life and schooling: Susan H. Fuhrman and Marvin Lazerson's "The Public Schools," Walter C. Parker's "Teaching Democracy: Unity and Diversity in Public Life," and Kevin McDonough and Walter Feinberg's "Education and Citizenship in…

This article discusses the contributions to this special issue of "Teacher Education Quarterly." At the core of all the contributions is the compellingly urgent realization that humanity is facing, and must deal with, enormous ecological and social problems and challenges. This situation has created an urgent and compelling need centered…

In this essay David Bridges argues that since most families choose to realize their responsibility for the major part of their children's education through state schools, then the way in which the state constructs parents' relation with these schools is one of its primary levers on parenting itself. Bridges then examines the way in which…

Access to higher education is a key challenge of the 21st century state. The link between higher education and personal and socio-economic development has intensified the need for ensuring that greater numbers of citizens have expanded access to and have been provided with quality higher education. The article seeks to explore how initiatives for…

The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development signals an unparalleled opportunity to link education with sustainability. But in the age of corporate globalization, will education bow to the external pressures that have always sought to subordinate it to vested interests, or will it reach beyond these narrow confines to the…

Argues that educational leaders must place education in a proactive role that can influence global dynamics. Examines production for changes in how value, work, and learning environments are created. Discusses emerging definitions of education, value, labor, and knowledge. Includes references. (CMK)

One of the salient concerns in contemporary higher education internationally is access, which is rapidly expanding. Another salient trend is the rapid expansion of private higher education. These two salient tendencies have not been treated in scholarship as heavily intertwined. Much of the reason is that many people associate "private"…

Criticizes New Zealand's adoption of market-oriented higher education--universities as "knowledge businesses" and students as "consumers." Argues that the competitive capitalist economic model advocated by the state replicates societal structural inequalities and is wholly inappropriate for a university. Recommends a return to…

Maintains that the tenure system has resulted in departments that are hierarchal, intellectually stagnant, and self- serving. Advocates reforming the current system by introducing merit evaluations and more flexible career paths. Refutes the basic arguments supporting tenure and recommends free market incentives as a cure-all for academic…

The term "corporate university", which has come into wide use in the last decade, is applied to three kinds of organizations: (1) "established," "mainstream", "non-profit universities" adapting to economic and technological pressures by adopting managerial practices of modern for-profit corporations; (2) "newly established", "highly innovative…

Contends that juku schools (private, for-profit schools) have become increasingly important in Japanese education during the past decade. Compares the juku schools with the formal Japanese educational system and discusses admission procedure, the curriculum, teachers, and financial costs. (CFR)

This paper locates the current technology related school reform movement in the backdrop of growing international debate and illustrates through discourse analysis why teachers and teacher educators need to engage in deeper levels of critical dialogue over the move to plug schools into the so-called knowledge economy. The objective is to raise…