India is currently faced with the formidable task of fulfilling its commitment towards Education for All. This paper presents findings of a multi-level study, which explored the various meanings, and efforts towards inclusive education in an Indian context. Using an ecosystemic framework, it discusses the many complex ways in which efforts have…

Technology education has progressed through several iterations over the past 100 years and continues to evolve as the primary medium for preparing children and youth in technological literacy. Over the past 20 years, technology education has worked diligently to move from a subject field where students primarily manipulated materials (industrial…

"What gets assessed is what gets taught" is a common assertion whose meaning is often underestimated. It is not just "what" gets assessed, but "how" it is assessed that has implications for what is learned. When a child who is asked the meaning of his report card grades responds, "If I knew that I'd be the…

In this article, the author provides some examples to illustrate broader points about accountability and reporting. The examples are based on a study of teachers in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, undertaken for the NSW government ("Time to Teach, Time to Learn," 2003). The study reviewed teaching practices surrounding…

The educational provision for young children in Italy today displays quite unique features; in some regions it attains some of the highest child access percentages in the world, is attended by families from all social classes and many services are denoted by qualitative excellence. It thus provides an interesting observatory for discussing the…

This essay discusses educational goals for universal basic and secondary education. It suggests some of the difficulties that may explain the great diversity of educational goals. The purposes of this essay are to (1) stimulate attention to educational goals on the part of individuals, families, educational professionals, community leaders in…

This article focuses on teachers' dual frustrations caused by contradictory requirements in Korean education reform policies since 1995. It summarizes recent education policy reforms in Korea and links them to the intensification of teachers' work through the extension of its range, and the possibility that teachers' work will be deskilled by…

This paper provides a critical evaluation of the model of professional development elucidated within the Career Entry Development Profile and induction arrangements for newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in England. In addition, it outlines the findings from a small-scale study of NQTs' professional development during their first year of teaching.…

This article reports the results of a research study on the impact of environmental education (EE) upon English primary school teachers, and it then discusses the findings of the study in relation to education for sustainable development, as EE is considered one of the two precursors of education for sustainable development. The article begins by…

Open and distance learning (ODL) gives learners control of the time, place, and pace of learning, often being characterized as flexible learning. However, this flexibility goes hand-in-hand with procrastination and non-completion. As a result, the efficiency of the educational process is of importance to ODL providers, government funding agencies,…

This study explores possible changes in the views of six faculty quality committees at a South African university. The initial investigation was replicated after five years and relates to the extent to which these committees perceive: (i) quality improvement as an indicator of faculty effectiveness; and (ii) faculties as the owners of quality. It…

This article analyses the progress made in transforming the public further education and training college system in South Africa in the first decade of democracy. It charts the evolution of policy for the sector and how it relates to broader policy development in South Africa. It examines the extent to which policy has been implemented and…

The paper presents a first assessment of the effects of changes in the Norwegian student support system, implemented in 2002-2003. Data have been drawn from NSELF, the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund and from "Statistics Norway" (various years). Covering the period 2001-04, the data compare the number and composition of those…

In this article, the author documents the learning disadvantage of rural primary school students in sub-Saharan Africa and attempts to identify the factors underlying such disadvantages. Analyzing data from 14 school systems participating in the second study of the Southern and Western Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ…

Recent Government policy has been strongly in favour of encouraging entrepreneurship and partnerships with industry. A flagship project backed by 68 million British Pounds was launched by Gordon Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1999. Due diligence exercises by the DTI failed to ensure that value for money was obtained. What had been planned…