ChildFund International (ChildFund) is a child-focused International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) which, since 1938, has worked with local implementing partners (LIPs), government, and other partner organizations to help create the safe environments children need to thrive. The purpose of this commentary is to reflect on the utility and…

In this article the author writes of having had the pleasure of meeting Datin Goh Suet Lan and one of the key members of her team, Mr. Murali, in the Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia with three colleagues, Associate Professor Dr. Shamala Paramasivam (who initiated this meeting), Dr. Ilyana Binti Jalaluddin,…

A network of volunteers, the International Union for Conservation of Nature Commission on Education and Communication (CEC), present some reflections on their contributions towards the field of education for sustainability from 1992 to the present. Many CEC members have been thought leaders to this multidimensional field, and advocates for a more…

As a volatile educative space, musical education must be interwoven with other concerns and other more encompassing constructs if it is to build robust, meaningful, and complex learning outcomes. This paper attempts to do this by placing music education and a complex understanding of policy side by side, and outlining what people can learn from…

In a September 2013 interview, Thomas Ehrlich and Ernestine Fu--whose passion for public service is manifested in differing ways and from two dramatically different generational standpoints--discussed insights from their co-authored book, "Civic Work, Civic Lessons: Two Generations Reflect on Public Service (2013)." Septuagenarian Tom…

In her commentary of McPhail's 2013 article "Corporate Responsibility to Respect Human Rights and Business Schools' Responsibility to Teach It: Incorporating Human Rights into the Sustainability Agenda," Jane Andrew begins by highlighting a number of McPhail's primary arguments. She points out that McPhail sets out to achieve two things…

Globalization has become a household word, permeating workplaces and communities, while internationalizing the curriculum has become common practice, not just in higher education, but also reaching into the primary grades and outward into program planning efforts in the non-formal sector. Few fields, however, can claim two international bodies…

International travel has the potential to expand one's learning horizons exponentially, especially with the abundantly enriching experiences of adult, continuing, and lifelong learning conferences. CONFINTEA VI (The Sixth World International Conference in Adult Education) sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural…

Vicki Phillips from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation talks with Learning Forward about the foundation's investment in effective teaching and the role of professional learning. Phillips said great teachers are the most important school-based ingredient for student success. So they are committed to ensuring teachers have the supports and tools…

Most of the applied drama and theatre projects being carried out in African contexts tend to be one-off events with limited follow-up in terms of building the capacity of target communities and organising them for action. Besides bringing people together for workshops, performances and post-performance discussions, such projects simply pass by…

"Can NGOs provide alternative development in a market-based system of global economics?" Today, a full ten years after the author first asked this question, individuals still have only partial answers. There is no doubt that NGOs are playing in a more significant role in global ODA (overseas development assistance). While the reasons for supply of…

The Japanese government provided various political opportunities for non-governmental groups and individuals in Japan to "jointly propose" policy on education and sustainable development at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, 2002. These opportunities resulted in the emergence of the Japanese education for…

A full understanding of disability recognizes that it has a powerful human rights dimension and is often associated with social exclusion, and increased exposure and vulnerability to poverty. Disability is a human rights issue. The World Bank (1999) report points out that one in five of the world's poorest are disabled, for whom access to basic…

This author feels that how one views NGOs (non-government organizations) depends on one's perspective, and thus his reflections in this article focus more on extending his earlier analysis, rather than revising it. The author does this by considering three relatively recent developments, which in different ways have provoked him to keep wrestling…

In this article, I argue that the expansion of higher education worldwide has had important effects in restructuring the political system of affluent democracies. A large literature has developed that describes how democracy has been "downsized" (e.g., lower voting rates). This, I argue, is one impact of expanded higher education. But there is…