This paper reports on the self-assessment of future teachers regarding their familiarity with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and their competency to teach about children's rights and participation. A total of 561 future teachers were surveyed in Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. They all agreed that, during their studies, they did not…

This article analyses the ways in which notions of student diversity and student voice are defined in five European countries, two terms directly related to notions of inclusion. In so doing, it examines links between the two terms, noting that, often, they are used in international research without acknowledging the ways that they are defined…

Although the idea of including learners in policy-making is gaining ground, their voices still seem to be marginalised. This article focuses on the issue of learners' voices in inclusive education policy debates. It begins by discussing main policy developments, arguments and key issues around learner voice and participation. It then draws on…

This article explores the relationship between children's knowledge and perceptions about their rights and subjective well-being (SWB) in a sample of 8-, 10- and 12-year-olds in 18 countries, taking account of gender differences. Children's knowledge and perceptions about their rights were analysed considering whether they reported that they knew…

The child's right to play is specifically addressed in the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The international recognition of this right is the central theme of this study. Through a documentary analysis of the reports of the States Parties to the Convention and the Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of…

With the adoption and ratification of the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006, inclusive education became an international human right and a global norm. But, "Education for All" remains a worldwide challenge. It appears that some countries achieved higher inclusive education rates than others.…

This article focuses on the issue of student involvement in the education process. The study comprised pupils aged 10-11, 13-14 and 16-17; 322 students were attending school in Austria, and 458 students were in Slovenia. The data were collected through a questionnaire and processed on the level of descriptive and inferential statistics. The right…

In a recent keynote speech Paul Standish noted "there is agreement in judgments. But how the response to those judgments is realised is always cultural" (paper presented to PESA Conference, Taiwan, 2012, p. 2). Making judgments about what constitutes "crisis" for children is not necessarily agreed universally, though clearly…

Globally, schools continue to face ongoing reductions in budgetary allocations, increase in student numbers, performativity pressures and high stakes accountability. Like it or not, schools/ school leaders are operating in rapidly changing national educational policy contexts that are demanding more from less and a much greater contribution to…

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) policies and practices are local, historically and socially context-specific constructions. In addition to local ideals and policies, discursive practices concerning ECEC are influenced by universal ideals that are described and assigned by the member states of the United Nations Convention on the Rights…

This Report Card presents an overview of inequalities in child well-being in 41 countries of the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It focuses on 'bottom-end inequality' -- the gap between children at the bottom and those in the middle -- and addresses the question 'how far behind are…

This article draws on theoretical contributions from Michel Foucault, Nikolas Rose and from within the new sociology of childhood to open up for critical analysis and debate contemporary policy and practice initiatives involving the introduction of formal psychotherapeutic education programmes in schools. While the primary focus is the UK, the…

In the context of the U..N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, this article examines cultural differences in beliefs about: (1) the appropriate distribution of power in families and institutions; (2) the regulation of behavior; (3) individual and societal responsibility; and (4) individual and group rights. (SLD)

Designed for grades 4-6, this teaching unit explores children's rights from a comparative perspective by focusing on the rights of Japanese children as revealed in a collection of stories written by Japanese junior high school students. The unit outlines a series of lessons that explore the nature of children's rights and inquire about the extent…

Created to heighten teachers' awareness of human rights issues, particularly those related to children's rights, this guide offers children knowledge and skills in developing both self-worth and empathy for others. These feelings, the curriculum argues, are the foundation children need if they are to understand their rights as children and the…