The tertiary education sector is subject to significant and rapid change such as disruption from technology, diminishing government funding, demand for more personalised learning, and the need to meet the demands of a rapidly changing workplace. These changes create challenges. The centralisation of skills and resources has been mooted as…

In this paper we explore the adoption of a neoliberal turn in New Zealand's education system and its consequences, focusing particularly on secondary school music education. In the 1980s, New Zealand was one of the first states in the Western world to implement comprehensive neoliberal economic policies. Some 35 years later, education in New…

This paper examines online collaboration between small rural primary schools in New Zealand, focusing on principals' perspectives. Through semi-structured interviews with eight principals involved in the Virtual Learning Network (VLN) Primary, the study explores the benefits, challenges, and key factors for successful collaboration. The findings…

This article explores the nature, scope and form of third-sector involvement in education in New Zealand as demonstrated through a comparison of its relationship with the state in two distinct periods of state and educational development. It begins with an analysis of the period of state expansion from crown colony to centralised administration in…

Recent reforms in England's education system have been justified on the grounds that other countries have pursued similar approaches to education reform. Many such policies that by-pass or otherwise diminish meso-level institutions demonstrate a commitment to the idea of devolving authority to local actors. The current reforms in England and…

This issue is devoted to the publication of a doctoral thesis by Dr. David McKenzie, one of New Zealand's leading educational historians. The research in this essay was completed over 30 years ago. Inevitably, the standpoint from which it was written has altered with the passage of time. No one then, for example, could have predicted the strength…

Discusses what Western nations could learn from Japan's educational system. Negative features include (1) rote learning; (2) standardization of materials taught; (3) government control of textbooks; and (4) an examination system that does not promote individualism. Positive features include the high value placed on education and the work ethic.…

The administrative policies in Australian and New Zealand school systems have undergone radical changes in recent years. This article summarizes research into the origins and patterns of the reforms, their progress, and the problems encountered. Holistic reforms were intended to achieve increased economic efficiency, educational effectiveness, and…

This paper introduces and explores new counterpressures in educational governance, the central theme of this symposium. Drawing on research in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, but giving particular attention to Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Canada, and the United States, this paper provides an…

Describes market reforms in New Zealand education from 1984 when the Labour government had control, to the present system under the National government. Prior to reforms, New Zealand had an equitable homogeneous system. Reforms have led to inequality, particularly to the disadvantage of Maori people, and may have lowered educational standards. (KS)

Draws on ongoing case studies of women's initiations of elementary collaborative principalships to discuss dilemmas encountered within the contradictory environment of "centralized decentralization" in New Zealand. Accountability issues have emerged as significant in one school, as the women and their board have been radically…

The educational assessment quality assurance and control practices of Germany, Sweden, France, New Zealand, and Australia are compared to illustrate the considerable variety of approaches and some of the social factors that contribute to this variety. In Germany there is considerable variation from one province to another, and quality assurance…

Examines the coincident nature of recent educational reforms (multiculturalism, skills training, curricular redesign, school choice) in Canada and four other Anglophone democracies as related to two forms of globalization: economic globalization and global rationalization and standardization. Concludes that globalization is transforming education…