Education Policy and Politics

This report presents different models of The Learning Society, of lifelong learning and of the learning organisation, through cross-national and 'home international' comparisons. It then explores the limitations and advantages of comparative research. It will be of particular use to researchers planning international, and intra-European studies.

Who are universities for? argues for a large-scale shake up of how we organise higher education. It includes radical proposals for reform of the curriculum and how we admit students to higher education. Offering concrete solutions, it provides a way forward for universities to become more responsive to challenges.

This topical book argues that a new paradigm is emerging in education, in relation to the economic crisis. It is part of a more general trend to organisational democracy and the onus for change rests with teachers, heads, parents, community members, educational sponsors and partners.

Teacher education in times of change offers a critical examination of teacher education policy in the UK and Ireland over the past three decades. Written by a research group from five countries, it makes international comparisons, and covers broader developments in professional learning, to place these key issues and lessons in a wider context.

In this collection of essays, researchers discuss the implications of their findings for policy. Findings are also presented for the first time from a major new survey, commissioned by The Learning Society Programme, which examined the skills of a representative sample of British workers.

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. This book is about the experiences of students in institutions of higher education from 'non-traditional' backgrounds with contributions from the UK, the USA and Australia which reveal that the issues surrounding the inclusion of 'non-traditional' students are broadly similar in different countries.

Social capital, children and young people is about the relationships and networks - social capital - that children and young people have in and out of school.

The British government and powerful international agencies present investment in social capital as a way of promoting neighbourhood renewal, community health and educational achievement. This book confirms the significance of social capital as an analytical tool, while challenging the basis on which current policy is being developed.

This book recaptures the buried history of the household science movement, including domestic science teaching, public health, higher education for women and the scientific content and aims of domestic science courses.

Pat Thomson takes on England’s muddled education system and exposes fraudulent and unethical practices, including the skewing of the curriculum and manipulation of results. She argues for an urgent review of current practices, leading to a revitalised education system that has the public good at its heart.

Providing integrated coverage of the policy, practice and outcomes from 1944 to 2012, this book addresses the issues relevant to school admissions arising from three different approaches adopted in this period: planning via local authorities, quasi-market mechanisms, and random allocation.

This book explores a wide diversity of approaches to help understand the policy movement phenomena, providing a useful guide on global studies in education, as well as insights into the future of this dynamic area of work.