With the aim of developing an assessment more appropriate for low-income countries, in 2013 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development initiated the Programme for International Student Assessment for Development (PISA-D). Designed as a one-off assessment project resulting in scores comparable to PISA, nine countries joined the…

Despite recent gains in increasing access, an estimated 58 million children worldwide are still out of school. Abolishing school fees has increased enrollment rates in several countries where enrollments were low and fees were high. However, such policies may be less effective, or even have negative consequences, when supply-side responses are…

Critical discourse analysis of policy contexts and documents has been employed in this research to analyze the role of language in promoting normative positions affecting the quality of education in Cambodia and Laos. The article examines the ways institutional normative influences at multiple levels within the Education for All (EFA) program have…

This article describes the scope and content of the Nicaraguan National Literacy Crusade of 1980, its organization, workings, and outcomes. Special attention is given to those aspects of the crusade that relate to the goals of integrating previously excluded groups and transforming the political culture of the country. (Author)

After presenting background on the British colonial period, 1786-1957, the author examines recent Malaysian educational policy for national integration of this multicultural society, through provision of equal opportunities for all ethnic groups and the use of Malay as the official language. Successes and problems are noted. (SJL)