In the last 20 years, there has been a growing preoccupation with fragile contexts. International development and diplomatic communities have focused on implementing Western-oriented education policies centered on democratisation efforts to transform fragile contexts. In order to understand what happens when education reform policies are enmeshed…

In this appreciative discussion paper I provide an overview of the reforms made to education in England, and engage with the politics of education through examining the simultaneous and inter-related processes of politicisation, depoliticisation and repoliticisation of educational matters. I engage in a discussion of the papers in this special…

The neo-liberal move to depoliticise and deregulate governance of public sectors by transferring them to the technocratic and administrative marketplace management endangers the political and democratic processes at all levels. It influences education and educational leadership at their very core: the purpose of education is shifting from…

Purpose: Suburban school districts have undergone significant demographic shifts over the past several decades. The research literature to date, however, has yet to explore how suburban district leaders are responding to such changes, or examine the factors that shape response. In this article, we apply a "zone of mediation" framework to…

This paper considers education in the Mexican state of Oaxaca and the effects that an active teachers' union has had upon not only the education of the primary and secondary schools that the teachers represent, but also on higher educational policy in the state. The difference between rhetoric and reality is explored in terms of the union as a…

The focus of this book extends the discourse on student engagement beyond prescriptive definitions and includes substantive ethical and political issues relating to this concept. As such, this collection includes voices of educational theorists, practitioners, and students. It provides a counter discourse to the current dialogue on student…

The paper begins with a discussion of the roles of science in the political world and, borrowing from Shakley and Wynne (1996), describes some different relationships which can exist between science and policy. It argues that education systemic reform (ESR) constitutes a novel approach to educational reform, about which little is known, and about…

Presents a conceptualization of selected views and opinions on some critical factors--such as Black consciousness, quality education, racial integration, socio-economic influences on learning, and others--which have a direct and major influence on the conduct of public education for Black students. (Author/JM)

Focuses on some of the political and educational relationships between desegregation and the maintenance of order in public education. (Author/JM)

The difficulties surrounding the efforts to establish adequate educational systems in the developing nations are presented. (CK)

The widely accepted notion that the management of resources in schools involves merely strategic decisions about the deployment of finances, staff, and materials must be contested. The school effectiveness movement ignores the social and political context of schools and, through emphasis upon superficial managerial matters, teaches pupils to…

In order to look at the issues involved in decentralizing urban school districts, we must consider a number of things. Among these are the method of selecting the members of the local shcool boards; the amount of power of the community boards; control of financing and budget; curriculum; and the hiring, firing, and rewarding of teachers. In many…

This essay explores the issues arising from enrollment decline by examining the local school district context in which these issues must ultimately be resolved. The first section of this paper suggests that fluctuation in enrollment should not be treated separately from the continuously changing economic, political, and social environment of the…