Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the implications of national and international standards for human resource development (HRD) practice. It focuses on the experiences, perceptions and learning of those involved in the social construction of standards and standardisation processes. Design/methodology/approach: The research is…

Purpose/Objectives: This study aimed to describe efforts by Minnesota public School Food Authorities (SFAs) to implement the Smart Snack regulations in secondary schools and challenges associated with implementing these regulations five years after they went into effect. Methods: Public SFAs (n=452) in Minnesota were invited to complete an online…

Ensuring high standards in the preparation of teachers is critical for the effective professional practice of the Ghanaian teacher. This study examines the National Teachers Standards (NTS) for teachers in Ghana with particular focus on the initial teacher education (ITE) programme, and how tutors and student teachers (mentees) apply the NTS.…

This article examines Georgia's integration into the Bologna Process, focusing on academic social responsibility (ASR). Utilizing qualitative methods, including document analysis and 30 in-depth interviews, the study assesses the evolution of higher education, alignment with Bologna standards, and external quality assurance. Findings reveal…

The purpose of this study was to compare experiences of teachers and learners in the implementation of the National Strategy on Inclusive Education between primary and secondary schools in Malawi using a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological approach. The findings show that there is no clear difference in the way the National Strategy on…

The National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS) were published in 2012 to serve as both a guide and assessment tool for PK-12 Catholic school effectiveness and sustainability. The NSBECS rest on the conviction that adhering to these standards and benchmarks with fidelity will result in highly…

Research related to English as Foreign Language (EFL) curricula in Colombia is scant and mainly focuses on the analysis of policies and the challenges they pose to institutions. Consequently, there is a need for studies of EFL curricula in place in Colombia to serve as basis for evaluation and adjustment of current educational policies. This…

Up to the publication of the results of Germany's first participation in the PISA study in 2001, there had been no national educational standards in Germany's 16 federal states. In the aftermath of the discussions about the disappointing outcomes, Germany's federal states decided to develop national standards, yet focusing on "core…

The K-8 Early Implementers Initiative has found that careful planning is critical. With thin planning, unexpected detours or dead ends are likely. However, with solid planning, districts are more likely to achieve their implementation goals and may discover some express lanes for their implementation journey. This evaluation report documents…

Purpose: In 2010, the Russian Federation began introducing the new educational standards as a national reform designed to improve education quality. This study aims to identify how teachers feel about the reform to evaluate its intermediate effects. Design/methodology/approach: The study took place in Tatarstan, one of the regions of Russia. The…

A quality system (named GEAR; acronym for Combined Evaluation Audit Round in English), has been introduced in eight institutes of the Dutch general practitioner specialty training. This paper focuses on the local and national effects of GEAR. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with the directors and quality co-ordinators. At a…

Educational policy borrowing is almost the norm in today's policy making, partly because of globalisation, the rise in information and communication technology, and the involvement of external stakeholders in higher education governance. However, the reasons, applications, and results obtained from the adoption and implementation of borrowed…

We consider issues surrounding the introduction of the federal educational standards in preschool education (FGOS DO) by analyzing data from a survey of directors and teachers at public and private kindergartens. The results show that teachers are well informed about the content of the new standards. They actively participate in professional…

Studies have shown that principals are essential in successfully implementing large-scale policy reforms in schools. However, the issue of how school leaders interpret and transform reforms is understudied. This article explores how twelve Norwegian school leaders respond to external demands in a new policy context emphasizing national test…

This first Early Implementers Initiative evaluation publication discusses one of the major shifts required by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), namely the shift to integrated instruction. The integration of science and English language arts (ELA) is the focus of the first main section, and the integration of the science disciplines…