Smart Start Illinois is a multiyear plan to provide every child with access to preschool, increase funding to child care providers to raise wages and quality, and reach more vulnerable families with early support. Launched with a $300 million investment in the fiscal year 2024 state budget, Smart Start Illinois has already yielded results. The…

In the current hierarchical system of higher education, regional universities in China face the dilemma of homogenization and marginalization. There is an urgent need to find a high-quality development path that suits their own characteristics. From the theoretical perspective of "academic drift", this study focuses on the influence that…

In this HEPI Report, Nick Petford, Robert Griggs and Terry Neville explore the rationale and development of the University of Northampton's Waterside Campus, one of the UK's most ambitious university relocation projects. They conclude with a series of lessons learned.

This case study uses the theory of academic capitalism (TAC) to explore how a public university known primarily for undergraduate education is incorporating market-oriented practices and structures, and how those changes could impact its curriculum and enrollment profile. Through initiatives to establish an engineering college, expand graduate…

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is changing across Europe, reflecting multiple-policy intentions and assumptions about education in early years, and the role of the state in supporting, funding and regulating its institutions. In this article, we examine the evolution of ECEC comparatively in Finland and Sweden, and we explore the shifts…

China has established the world's largest education system. The gross enrollment ratio of pre-primary education, completion rate for compulsory education, and gross enrollment ratio of senior secondary education all exceed 90%. The gross enrollment ratio of higher education exceeds 60%, which is universally recognized as a high rate of enrollment.…

Purpose: This article reports on a study that explored how the Tanzanian government can support the development of research-intensive universities in its higher education system. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through document analysis and in-depth semi-structured interviews with participants obtained from national higher…

This paper provides a snapshot of educational and economic trends across South Asia with an exploratory and comparative approach. Before COVID-19, South Asia was the world's fastest-growing regional economy, concurrently achieving major strides in poverty reduction and access to education. Despite the region's economic and educational…

This paper delineates the growth of academy trusts in England before exploring government intentions to base the future state-funded school system on 'strong' multi-academy trusts. Academies, directly funded by the central government, first appeared in 2002 as an alternative to local authority-managed provision, with the initial intention of…

The study presents a comprehensive analysis of the multifaceted effects of foreign aid on higher education within the Ghanaian context. The primary objectives of the study encompass assessing the outcomes and challenges brought about by foreign aid in higher education. Through a meticulously designed methodology, the study delves into the…

"The Changing Landscape of Adult Education" offers a comprehensive analysis of the field of adult education, tracing its evolution since the 1950s. A variety of social, political, funding, economic, and technological forces have shaped the trajectory of adult education. Spanning its historical roots in social justice movements to its…

This volume charts the rise of the concept of "inclusive development" and simultaneously recognizes its problematic implications as it shifts the focus of development work from efficiency to justice. In response to increasing awareness that development projects can all too often lead to the exclusion of marginalized populations,…

This study examined the status of school orchestra and string programs in Louisiana. A manual web search for string programs in parish school districts, student school affiliations from honor orchestra lists, Louisiana members of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), and members of the Louisiana Music Educators Association was conducted…

The evolution of adult education in Singapore mirrors this young nation's growth from a third world to a first world nation; a nation that relies on its people as its only resource. Institutionally, adult education in Singapore was barely evident less than twenty years ago. Despite its short history (institutionally), adult education in Singapore…

Despite growing evidence on the impacts of the climate crisis on access to education and learning outcomes, there is a clear gap in identifying the additional costs the climate crisis imposes on education systems. Further, there is little evidence demonstrating the financial and socio-economic returns on specific climate-smart investment in…