Education Reform In Societies In Transition

Framed against the background of educational change, this book proposes to examine the relationship between curriculum change, teacher professional development, policy reform and the processes of educational change. The main aims of the book are to: (1) focus on educational changes and reconstruction in transitional societies that have undergone political, economic and social change in the past two decades, (2) provide a forum for the dissemination of research on education reconstruction and reform in transitional societies, (3) disseminate ideas that enhance both the practical and theoretical aspects of educational changes in these societies, (4) further knowledge and understanding of emerging trends and issues in education in these societies, (5) reflect the realities of educational scenarios in each transitional society. The book presents an in-depth exploration of educational reconstruction in 15 transitional societies. In each chapter, the authors have provided an overview of educational processes in the country, a distillation of education change or reform, and/or reconstruction in each transitional society. Collectively, the chapters in the book have attempted to contribute to a better understanding of the educational system in respective countries by identifying the challenges and obstacles, the policy implications, the teacher professional development needs and curriculum reform efforts.

The yearbook takes as its starting point the context of the new millennium; the collapse of the Soviet Empire, the continuing rise of the Pacific Rim & particularly of the People's Republic of China, the new energy of the USA, the UK & Germany, & the renaissance of Islamic states. The yearbook will pose the question: are there educational patterns, educational lessons to be learned, within these major political & economic transitions, some of which have tipped into crisis, all of which have been traumatic?

Reform and reconstruction of education in places as diverse as Chile, South Africa and the former East Germany has highlighted the issue of 'education in transition'. In cases such as these there has been a rapid and profound change of political context from autocratic to democratic, and theory has been generated relating to this. Such cases are included here, but the aim of this volume is to illustrate the fact that all nations are in some form of transition generated by a range of pressures and factors. Consequently, the contributing chapters are structured within three broad themes with the consideration of such issues as 'market orientation' and 'gender' as well as change arising from physical conflict. The resultant book makes a distinctive contribution to the understanding of relationships between policy making for educational provision and the realities of outcomes in practice.

Globalisation processes are currently having a powerful and far-reaching influence upon all societies worldwide. At the same time, many communities are ever more forcefully acknowledging their distinctive characteristics and celebrating their cultural differences. In this turbulent era, societies that have undergone particularly rapid political, economic and social change have a collective experience from which others have much to learn. The analysis of such ‘societies in transition’, and their efforts to transform educational policy and practice, is one focus for this volume. The collective studies are also concerned with the impact of the processes of globalisation and geopolitical change upon the related transitions of post-colonial societies; and upon the implications of the analysis for international agency policy and practice throughout the developing world. Contributors are drawn from a wide range of professional and academic backgrounds representing national governments, international agencies, research bodies, policy makers, researchers and practitioners. All have extensive first-hand experience of the issues and contexts that they deal with. Together they report upon original field research, theoretically informed analyses, political perspectives and recent professional and practical experience. Specific national contexts considered in depth include the European states of Estonia, Poland and Germany, the new Republic of South Africa, contemporary Brazil, the transitional phases of Hong Kong and Macau as ‘remnants of empire’, and the small states of Eritrea and Belize. In broad scope the volume highlights the tensions that exist between powerful global agendas and efforts to improve the quality and relevance of educational provision in vastly different sociocultural contexts. As such, the book will be of direct interest to a wide range of researchers, students, policy makers, consultants and development agency personnel involved with comparative and international studies in education and across the social sciences.

With contributions from international authors, this text demonstrates that education systems, and what it is to be educated, are in transition and that societies and economies are changing dramatically. The contributors explore expanding university systems, financial responsibilities and curricula.

This book is about education system reform in Central and Eastern Europe, with emphasis on decentralization and management. In the past, local authorities served as implementation arms of the central ministry, while finance and decision-making were controlled by the central government, leaving local communities with little influence. New education laws in most countries of the region have altered this balance. A moderate approach may be the least disruptive short-term solution for societies undergoing socioeconomic transition. In 1997 the World Bank Institute participated in a research project to study intergovernmental roles in the delivery of education services in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Albania, Bulgaria, and Romania. Each country assembled a research team of academics, educators, and policy advisors led by an education specialist. Each team produced a report, which was discussed and revised during four information-sharing seminars, and they are presented here. The challenge these countries face is how to develop new institutions that can effectively enlist state, civil-society, and private-sector resources to achieve educational goals. This book should be of interest to educators and other readers interested in Central and Eastern European area studies. Its multidisciplinary methodology will also provide useful insights to development policymakers in other sectors. (RT)

School is one of the most focal institutions in modern society. It is largely through the institutionalized forms of education that modern society attempts to secure and maintain its social and economic well-being and its valuable cultural life forms. In addition to this, school is the essential institution through which the future of a society is defined. Thus, at least when understood traditionally as a pedagogical institution, the school stands at the center of historically and socially constructed cultural life forms and at the brink of an unknown future: the determination of that future characterizes the pedagogical task of the school. It naturally ensues then, that modern discourses of the school have always been intertwined with the critical question of how past, present and future can be linked in educational practices so that schools can foster (in ever better ways) the well-being of individuals, societies and humanity. The chapters in this volume, despite the variety of viewpoints, share this critical view. The purpose of the volume is not to offer definite answers; rather it is to stress that to understand the role and functions of school in contemporary society and to orientate its transition, a well-founded critical evaluation of prevailing pedagogical practices and policy trends is required. This evaluation is vital for the future of school and society.

This report discusses the emergence of a new geopolitical reality, that of countries in transition. Although the expression usually refers to former Communist countries, a closer analysis shows that transition is, in fact, a universal historical phenomenon. As used here, countries in transition must evidence the following factors: (1) the starting-point or initial state of transition; (2) the destination or the objectives pursued; and (3) the actual content of transition, i.e. the derived transformations. In-depth analyses are presented to provide greater understanding of the education policies of the countries in transition. The social, political, and psychological contexts of the education reforms are established to facilitate that understanding. The report is divided into two parts. Part 1, "Reforms, crises and transitions in Central and Eastern Europe," covers the following topics: (1) "Towards a general theory of transition" (including transition as a transformation of the social and political system, as a state of anomie, as an historical trend, and as a process of societal learning); (2) "The transition from dictatorship to democracy: models, myths and realities"; and (3) "The reforms in Central and Eastern Europe: unity in diversity." Part 2, "Transition as an educational project," speaks to the following issues: (1) "Ideological changes and educational consequences"; (2) "Strategies and priorities: four case studies" (including Hungary, Poland, the Czech and Slovak Republics, and Romania); and (3) "The education legislation of transition" (including rectification measures, modernization measures, and restructuring measures). An extensive bibliography concludes the report. (EH)