Privatization of public education in North America has long been influenced by two schools of conservative thought: neoliberalism, which seeks to create a marketplace for public services in which individuals choose the option they judge to be in their best interests and government's role is limited as much as possible to simply funding these…

School funding formulas have been applied across a number of countries for at least the last 50 years. A national funding formula (NFF) was introduced in England in 2018 and aims to provide a platform for fair funding across the country. This study explores the variations in the NFF's high needs block (HNB) funding and examines links with the use…

Education, health and care (EHC) plans were introduced in England in 2014, as a replacement for statements of special educational needs. Unexpectedly, the number of children and young people in receipt of an EHC plan rose by 49% during the 5 years up to 2019. Whilst most of the increase has been due to the extension of the age range up to age 25,…

The public funding of early years education and care in England has been transformed. Historically, local councils had the main responsibility for decisions regarding nursery education and child day care, but in 1996 the Conservative government introduced a nursery education voucher scheme. Parents of four-year-olds could exchange the voucher for…

Universities in many countries are developing strategies to enhance the student experience. This focus has never been so important since the development of rankings and the use of student experience measures in institutional performance assessment. Australian government policies to link student experience measures to performance funding were a key…

The reduction of socio-economic inequalities in school outcomes was a major priority of the Coalition Government in England from 2010-15. In this paper we examine the Coalition's policies and spending, including an analysis of the distributional effect of its pupil premium policy. We also look at trends in outcomes up to 2014. We find that…

The Malaysian Government intention to implement the higher education reforms is observable in the implementation of National Higher Education Strategic Plan beyond 2020 in 2007. This plan emphasises on improving the research and teaching in higher education in accordance with the government objectives. Parallel to the introduction of this plan,…

This is a study of financial disparities in primary and secondary education in OECD countries that have a relatively large population and a school finance system with decentralized features. These countries include the United States, Britain, Australia, Spain, Canada, and Japan. There are two major research questions: What are the trends in…

Access to English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) courses is crucial for society, social cohesion and the economy. In 2006 it was estimated that 600,000 people in London alone had an ESOL need. In some parts of the country, as many as 50 per cent of adults have Entry-level ESOL needs. ESOL is no longer an issue only for urban areas. People…

The further education (FE) and skills sector has known for months that far less tax-payer money will be available for skills in the future. This means that more training will have to be paid for by those who directly benefit. The government's skills strategy is intended to mark a new era for FE and skills, based upon increased contributions from…

Britain is in the longest recession since the Second World War. Mass unemployment is back. The road to recovery could be long and bumpy. On the fiscal front, the deficit could be higher than the 175 billion British Pounds forecast for 2009-10. Bringing the deficit under control will require higher taxes and lower public spending. In an effort to…

Using statistics, documentary evidence and commentary from academics and academic trades unions, this article analyses the key features of U.K. government policy towards higher education in England since 1979. The focus is on England because the details of policy and policy implementation vary between the four nations of the U.K. My findings…

In September 2007 the Government withdrew HEFCE funding for students studying for a second higher qualification at a level equal to or lower than their first--the so-called equivalent or lower qualification (or ELQ) rule. This policy hit students and universities in England, though not those in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. In a recent…

The Welsh Assembly Government is nothing if not consultative. The most recent draft policy out for public debate aims to improve the way adult community learning (ACL) is planned and delivered--in order to provide demonstrable benefits for learners. This latest consultation sits under "Skills that Work for Wales," the Assembly…

In the "Sydney Morning Herald" of 23 March 2005, Ross Gittins argued that the funding arrangements for private schools positively encourage parents to move their children from the state system. The then Federal Minister for Education, Dr Brendan Nelson, in a letter to the "Herald" of 25-27 March, responded by saying that 68% of…