This article argues that the exponential increases in the Grade 12 (Matriculation) passes post 1994 do not necessarily translate to quality because of the low performance norms and standards set for passing Grade 12. It further calls for a serious reflection and interrogation of existing policies on performance, benchmarks, teacher education…

This article considers the politics of adoption of a testing regime in South Africa. While the broad features of this regime are similar to those in developed countries, there are features specific to the South African context. These emerge from a combination of external and internal pressures. External pressures derive from international testing…

In recent years, debates over school reform have increasingly focused on the role of teacher unions in the changing landscape of American K-12 education. On one hand, critics argue that these unions, using their powerful grip on education politics and policy to great effect, bear primary responsibility for blocking states' efforts to put into…

This document consists of articles 23-45 published in the electronic journal "Education Policy Analysis Archives" for the year 2001: (23) "La Participacion de las Minorias Nacionales dentro de Sistemas Educativas Pre-Modernos: El Caso de los Garifunas de Guatemala" (Carlos R. Ruano); (24) "'Alexander v. Sandoval': A…

This publication presents papers given at a 1998 joint meeting of the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association which focused on teacher quality. One common thread of this conference was criticism of the growing practice of granting emergency certification to unprepared or underprepared teachers. The papers address how to…

Uses data from 39 countries to analyze how various institutional features and policies affected student performance on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. Students in countries with centralized exams, little teacher/union influence on budgets, and larger shares of private-school enrollments had significantly higher TIMSS scores.…