Internationally, vocational education and training (VET) is intended to fulfil important economic and social objectives. There is, however, a concerning discourse relating to funding, esteem, reputation and quality, and questions have been raised about whether social mobility aspirations of the sector's students are achieved or achievable. This…

For over a year, stories of economic devastation, food and housing insecurity, and the challenges of remote learning have dominated headlines as the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in dramatic changes for education, businesses, and communities. In the Columbus, Ohio region, the pandemic widened existing inequalities, as it did across the rest of the…

In an unequal world, education about global inequality can be seen as a controversial but necessary topic for social science to deal with. Even though the world no longer consists of colonies and colonial powers, many aspects of the global economy follow the same patterns as during colonial times, with widening gaps between the world's richest and…

In this article, the author considers the ways racial and gender oppression uniquely impact the experiences of women faculty of color working at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). HSIs are federally defined as accredited, not-for-profit two- or four-year institutions of higher learning whose total full-time student enrollment is at least 25…

Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and illustrating with examples from the English system, the paper addresses the hidden racist dimension to contemporary education reforms and argues that this is a predictable and recurrent theme at times of economic crisis. Derrick Bell's concept of "interest-convergence" argues that moments of…

The development of early childhood education (ECE) in Europe and beyond is inextricably linked with women's roles and power in society. Towards the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century in a context of urbanisation and industrialisation the need for some sort of public childcare became apparent in many countries. Whereas…

This paper reports on the "Fair Go Project", research into student engagement among primary school students living in poor communities in South-Western Sydney, Australia. Taking as a starting point recent work into classroom pedagogies ("Productive Pedagogies") and drawing on Bernstein's concept of classrooms as message…

Addresses the conflicting pressures facing plurilingual societies, focusing on (1) geopolitical changes such as language decline, international languages, and the pressures of globalization and the dominance of English; (2) access to or surrender of power; and (3) the choice of which language policy to pursue. (CMK)

Discusses policies concerning adult education which have been designed and carried out in Latin America. Contends that the adult basic education policy does not provide the clientele with better tools to face the challenges of society. Calls for an understanding of the inner rationality of adult education programs. (KO)

Traces the search for economic development alternatives that go beyond conventional neo-classical and Marxist theory and practice. Outlines case studies of social and economic transformation in South Korea and China and delineates the differences between similar attempts in Latin America and Eastern Europe. (MJP)

Summarizes the Report and Recommendations of the Independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation. Proposes an economic development approach that is based on a people-centered values framework and social mobilization. Profiles a similar program, Janasaviya, pioneered in Sri Lanka in 1989. (MJP)

This paper describes the concept, training, and experiences of community facilitators as change agents in a nonformal education project in rural Ecuador. Presently, the social, economic, and political context of the rural Ecuadorian consists of poverty, racial prejudice, economic exploitation, and psychological dependency. The project attempted to…

This paper examines the relationship between Paulo Friere's philosophy and methodology in "Pedagogy of the Opressed" and the use of simulation games for consciousness raising. Friere suggests that the supposed insurmountable barriers facing oppressed peoples are as much a product of their perceptions as they are of the oppressor. The…