Starting from Illich's identification of the compulsory schooling process with the rational initiation rite to the modern, free-market, society, the paper aims to detach the philosophical premises this expensive and unequal ritual is grounded in. After having referred to Van Gennep's conception of the rites of passage, we shall show that the…

At present, European education policy, research and administration is dominated by a specific concept of reform, namely so-called output governance, whose rise to prominence in national contexts in the 1990s coincided with the advance of international tests of school performance such as PISA. In this article it is argued that there is much more to…

Even though transformations have been made in Turkey, schools have turned into places where partners are unhappy. Recently, education has moved into a new dimension called the system of objects in consumer society. The consumer society has become devoted to the system of objects, as people are not consuming for need but for want. Model schools and…

This article looks at the role of school leadership vis-à-vis the curriculum. First, it offers a brief overview of school leadership in Germany. Next, curriculum development and curriculum research in Germany is briefly recapped. We present empirical data on school leadership preferences, strain experience, and practices as to curriculum work.…

This paper discusses the emergence of assessment for learning (AfL) across the globe with particular attention given to Western educational jurisdictions. Authors from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, and the USA explain the genesis of AfL, its evolution and impact on school systems, and discuss current trends in policy…

This paper is devoted to changes in the structure of the higher education system in Russia, analysing both historical context and current institutional diversity. The review starts from the Soviet quasi-corporate system when the state combined demand-side and supply-side roles in higher education. The post-Soviet transformation brings new forces…

This paper reviews the long attempt to transform teacher education in Thailand. Although a brief summary of educational systems and models of teacher preparation from 1892 to 1973 has been provided, the prime focus of the paper is on presenting changes in teacher education from 1974 to the present day, against the backdrop of key political and…

New theories and theory-based methodological approaches have found their way into Comparative Education--just as into Comparative Social Science more generally--in increasing number in the recent past. The essays of this volume express and critically discuss quite a range of these positions such as, inter alia, the theory of self-organizing social…

This paper first reviews the development of community education in Shanghai, one of China's eastern coastal cities. Then the development of community education in the Xuhui District of Shanghai, especially its management system and operational mechanisms, school operating systems and networks, curriculum systems, and team building are presented.…

This paper presents the U.S. Department of Education's Fiscal Year (FY) "2010 Annual Performance Report" (APR). This report provides detailed information on: (1) the status of strategic goals, and (2) the outcomes of the strategic performance measures identified in the Department's "FY 2007-2012 Strategic Plan" and updated previously in the "FY…

Traces development of cultural geography in the United States during the 20th century. Topics discussed include culture, cultural traditions, and culture regions; aspects of culture systems; the relationship of population growth to technological advancement; and research concerns of cultural geographers. (Author/DB)

In order to assess the impact of community colleges in British Columbia from the point of view of the students, the community, and the educational system, and to develop practical means for producing such information on an on-going basis for educational planning purposes, a program of research was undertaken at the University of British Columbia.…

This bulletin includes the Preface to the biennial survey covering State school systems' statistics. The Preface presents a summary that brings together data from the various statistical chapters of the Biennial Survey of Education, 1930-32, each of which deals with a segment only of the educational system. (Contains 8 tables, and 1 footnote.)…

In examining education systems in Europe, examples show that it is wiser to build slowly and carefully, preserving what is best in existing practice, and discarding what is out of mesh with the times. Using illustrations from 14 countries in western Europe, 4 factors largely determine the size and composition of the independent sector in a…

By tracing major ideas in the evolution of educational history between 1899 and 1985, the document takes readers from the traditional emphasis on citizenship training in social education to the current focus on teaching about the world community and the interdependence of its people and systems--cultural, ecological, economic, linguistic, racial,…