Purpose: Throughout the world, the dominant discourse treats "financial literacy" as both necessary and sufficient to improve the well-being of individuals and society. Findings: This essay argues that financial literacy is neither, and that promoting financial literacy is a perverse way to address the inadequate retirement funding,…

This paper explores notions of professionalism amongst vocational teachers in the United Kingdom and Australia, through an analysis of voluntarism/regulatory frameworks and professional body frameworks. In terms of empirical evidence, the paper reports on data drawn from a documentary analysis of government policy documents, standards for the…

This paper aims to map the landscape of higher education transformation in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations while exploring the status of BRICS nations in some of the global university rankings and analysing their potential to give new meaning to notions such as excellent and world-class universities. The study…

The aim of this article is to explore the relationship between the concept of the 'world class' university and the evidence provided by published global institutional ranking systems and to assess the policy implications of seeking 'world class' standing whether driven by governments or by institutions themselves. There would be little…

While the methods used to study 'elites' are of particular relevance in policy research, to date there has been little examination of the particular challenges associated with 'elite' interviewing in this field. More specifically, the issues associated with interviewing 'elites' while conducting qualitative research in a contested policy domain,…

Oftentimes, policymakers discuss school reform only in terms of its benefits to students. In this brief, researcher Bartley R. Danielsen identifies how more multifaceted reforms can not only improve educational outcomes for students but also revitalize communities by encouraging wealthy families to remain in lower-income areas, thereby raising…

Labor market and skills intelligence, which provides information on current and future labor market trends and skill needs, can help people, enterprises and policymakers make informed decisions. Cedefop's project, "Governance of Skills Anticipation and Matching Systems: Country Reviews," aims to help participating EU states overcome…

A recent report by the National Audit Office (NAO, 2016) has criticised the Department of Education's organisation of Initial Teacher Training programmes in England as not providing value for money. This paper explores recent reports from government agencies, Parliament and the press on this issue. Further to this, leaders of various programmes…

It is now widely recognized that the early years are fundamental in preparing children for success in school and in later life. The skills and abilities developed in the early years provide the platform for later learning, while early deficits can have lasting consequences for later inequality and social mobility. We also know that early…

In the 2010-2011 academic year, I conducted an ethnographic case study of a Ukrainian university in a predominantly Russian-speaking city that was beginning to teach subjects in English. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship among these three languages and additional foreign languages in the university, as well as the…

In the denouement of the COVID-19 pandemic, talk of a return to "normalcy" in higher education belies the great challenges and ongoing disruptions that yet lie ahead for many institutions. Public perceptions of the value of postsecondary education continue their downward slide, placing institutions in the position of having to…

"Repertories of Racial Resistance: Pedagogical Dreaming in Transborder Educational Spaces" explores the integral role of dreaming and imagination in pursuing educational justice. The illuminating case studies in this book highlight how youth and adults utilize Transformative Methodologies not only to generate knowledge, but also promote…

The paper focuses on the comparative analysis of professional competences development in public management and administration university programmes and the possibilities of implementation of international experience in Ukraine. Using the methods of comparative and system-functional analysis, synthesis and generalisation, the authors concentrate on…

Dual enrollment (DE) programs are on the rise nationally. This study uses recently available nationally representative data to examine which student and school characteristics predict participation in DE in the United States. We connect DE participation to human capital theory and related educational policy values of equity, excellence, and…

Means-ends decoupling implies that national policies and practices are disconnected from the state's core goal of creating public welfare. Employing sociological institutionalism, this article aims to explore how means-ends decoupling at the state level affects Ukrainian students' choice of university and study programme using semi-structured…