Much educational utopianism revolves around the "real versus blueprint utopia" dichotomy and the prescriptive normativity that utopian education involves. In this paper, I suggest that the "real and blueprint" distinction should not be dichotomized and that a richer set of normativities, apart from prescription, should operate…

Commitments to inclusive education have been articulated in policy across the UK, in the context of increasingly inclusive rhetoric in education policy globally over recent years. This paper uses a critical policy analysis approach to understand the framing of inclusion within national legislation, policy documents and associated key resources…

Public service reforms often provoke political backlash. Can they also yield political benefits for the politicians who champion them? We study a Wisconsin law that weakened teachers' unions and liberalized pay, prompting mass protests. Exploiting its staggered implementation across school districts, we find that the reform cut union revenues,…

Coaches develop and use a complex system of strategies to gain access to teachers' classrooms for coaching. In the process, coaches confront micropolitical forces within the school organization that shape access, either enhancing or impeding coaches' chances of being viewed as a trusted and valued partner in teacher learning. In this qualitative…

This College of the Atlantic (COA) story provides some answers to the questions about how democratic systems of governance in a small, experimental college have shaped the students and institutional decision making. Born during the turmoil of the 1960s, COA went on to survive 50 years with its progressive roots intact. Part memoir (I was a faculty…

This study takes up Paul Gilroy's recent call to take seriously the political problem of fascism in the contemporary conjuncture as an educational problem. Specifically, the study will begin with analytic work to identify a set of guideposts that delineate the political logics of fascism. It will then examine the still under-developed theoretical…

Student loan debt is at record levels in the United States. The negative psychological and financial effects for borrowers are well-documented. This article turns to the individual-level political effects of student loan debt. Rooted in the policy feedback literature, we examine whether the rise in student loan debt is associated with negative…

This interdisciplinary research explores the complex interplay between democratic erosion and migration crises, recognising their profound implications for social cohesion. With universities serving as bastions of knowledge and inclusion, their role in addressing these challenges is paramount. By implementing targeted programs and initiatives,…

This study examines the impact of the discourses of the Presidents of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on education policies. Education in the TRNC has been a crucial component of identity construction throughout its historical process, and the discourses of political leaders have played a significant role in shaping education…

This study aims to understand how social organizations participate in education governance and how they interact with state actors in the context of education governance in China from a network governance perspective. Based on a multiple case study, we selected four social organizations (a think tank, an academic association, and a domestic, and…

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the role university students played in the decolonization discourse in Ghana. It analyses whether or not the concept of decolonization can be used to investigate the resistance of student movements through their activism. The consciousness of student movements such as the National Union of Ghana…

Between 2011 and 2015, at the dawn of the global financial crisis, Spain went through severe austerity measures that led to social unrest and to the emergence of new expressions of collective action. In the educational field, teachers' unions and grassroots movements organised against the neoliberal and neoconservative policies promoted by the…

The implementation of global teacher and school evaluation reform has often been contentious, in ways that differ according to national context. Teacher trade unions have frequently been active opponents of reform but their strategies and motivations have been relatively little studied. This article examines evaluation reform in Greece and the…

This article examines the paradoxical relationship between state schools and political parties in Cambodia. To gain electoral support, the ruling Cambodian People's Party controls donations to schools, teachers' behavior, and extracurricular activities. Yet schools simultaneously provide spaces for youth to develop a generational identity that…

This paper explores the complex landscape of alternative provision across the UK and its implications for school exclusion. Drawing on interviews with over 400 professionals, parents, and pupils in ten selected local authorities in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, we find marked differences in the scale and nature of provision. These…