The main theories of the thriving field of study of public policies have been formulated at institutions of developed countries, mostly by the American academy, based on the particular conditions of policy-making processes of their own country. However, its heuristic premises are considered, initially, as universal and are used extensively in…

Scholars have become increasingly vigilant about leaders, the role of government and wider governance bodies, and their influence on education policy. Councils in Europe and North America, generally, and education councils, specifically, are good examples of influential bodies whose decision-making processes have rightfully come under scrutiny;…

When either privileged or under-resourced families navigate gray areas in the law, including federal laws related to students with disabilities such as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, inequities are revealed. Research and emerging trends have raised increasing concerns about unfairness and abuses of disability policies, particularly with…

This paper explores the repositioning of state curriculum agencies in response to the establishment of the Australian Curriculum and the key national policy organisation responsible for its development: the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). I begin with an analysis of the federal Labor government's role in the…

In 2009, the Australian states and territories signed an agreement to provide 15 hours per week of universal access to quality early education to all children in Australia in the year before they enter school. Taking on board the international evidence about the importance of early education, the Commonwealth government made a considerable…

Thailand's Participation as a member of the ASEAN Community forces her government to accelerate improvement of her citizens' competency of the English language. The continuing wave by Thai governments to develop and modernize the quality of education has influenced Thai society. Within Thailand, English proficiency has been reported as being…

This paper examines the tensions that sometimes arise between educational researchers and policy makers. The recent history of the relationship is described and it is suggested that part of the reason for current disenchantment (on both sides) is that the two groups approach research with different expectations and priorities. Two particular…

The quality of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) instruction in elementary schools worldwide is an issue of concern for language policy and planning (LPP) scholars, as are examinations of power and ideologies operating in policy creation and implementation. This critical, exploratory study blends these two strands of inquiry by examining…

This paper explores the role of the Canadian federal government in two foreign policy areas: overseas development assistance and international cultural relations by providing a brief history of the federal government's engagement in both policy areas and highlighting the contributions and challenges of Canadian foreign policy to the…

Considers whether the British Department of Education and Science has too much power and if it has destroyed the British Colleges of Education, by examining the background, concealed strategies, and public strategies of the department. (PG)

Concludes that the real challenge to social scientists in this administration, and any other, is not how to relate effectively and get more funds from the executive branch, but how to relate more effectively as teachers and learners in the political process--with the American people and their elected representatives in Congress. (Author/JM)

Three issues concerning educational policy making are examined in this paper: (1) Who has the power to affect major policies in Canadian postsecondary education? (2) How does a shift in power affect educational policy making? and (3) How can institutional management best respond to this power? After presenting a rationale for its focus on power,…

Focuses on the efforts made in the decade of the 1960's to improve processes of social choice, so that the economic market could be improved or replaced by satisfactory political arrangements. (Author/JM)

Australia's higher education is coordinated by a variety of federal, state, and informal agencies with complex interrelationships and tasks. After a sustained period of growth, the improved administration of higher education has been assigned a high priority by the federal government in the last two years. (MSE)