Lending For Learning

From Lending to Learning provides a theoretical overview and practical guide to the functional area of delivering learning services within public libraries. It traces the development of public library service delivery and critically appraises the inherent tension between offering an educational-focused or leisure-focused library. The current and future policy directions are explored against the backdrop of the emerging learning society. A general overview of recent developments in learning theory is followed by an insight into the learning landscape. The issues and practicalities of setting up a learning environment within a public library are dealt with in a clear and straightforward fashion. The book concludes with an assessment of the emerging web 2.0 technologies and gives an insight into how the whole area of social networking might shape the future. Combines a practical approach with an accessible theoretical underpinning Written in an entertaining and highly readable style Identifies the key phases involved in establishing a public library learning service

Based on detailed analysis of thousands of confidential World Bank documents, this book demonstrates that the World Bank lies at the centre of the major changes in global education of our time. It outlines the evolution of World Bank lending policies in education, and assesses the policy impact of the Bank's educational projects, looking at how it has: shaped the economic and social policies of many governments, including policies that affect education been an influential proponent of the rapid expansion of formal education systems around the world, financing much of that expansion been instrumental in forging those policies that see education as a precursor to modernisation served as a major purveyor of Western ideas about how education and the economy are, or should be, related. Following on from the success of the first edition, this revised edition covers topical issues of globalisation and looks into the political debate concerning aid to developing countries. It will be of enormous value to those studying, or working in, educational policy in developing countries, international organisations and financial institutions, and aid agencies.

The phenomenon of "travelling reforms" has become an object of great professional interest and intensive academic scrutiny. The fact that the same set of educational reforms is transferred from one country to another made scholars wonder whether policy transfer has increased as a result of globalization. But also the fact that policy makers increasingly import "best practices "and international standards and use them as a tool to accelerate reform has captured the imagination of many that deal with policy studies. An international comparative perspective is key for understanding why reforms travel from one corner of the world to another. Not surprisingly, the study of policy borrowing and lending constitutes one of the core research topics of comparative policy studies; a new area of research that links comparative education with policy studies. The World Yearbook of Education 2012 brings together a diverse range of perspectives on education policy through contributions from internationally renowned authors. It reflects on the way policy borrowing and lending is reconfiguring the world of education and offers a new collection of insights into the changes occurring across the world. It particularly focuses on: The political and economic reasons for policy borrowing, The agencies, international networks and regimes that instigate policy change, The process of borrowing and lending The impact of these systems, agendas and institutions on indigenous settings. This book will prove invaluable to researchers of globalization and to policy experts, especially those interested in comparative and international educational studies. It is also essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students and anyone involved in the sociology, economy or history of education. Gita Steiner-Khamsi is Professor of Comparative and International Education at Teachers College Columbia University, New York, US. Florian Waldow is Research Director at the University of Münster, Germany.

The only guidebook that shows you how to finance any property--with or without bank approval Would you like to discover all of the many ways that you can finance real estate? Want to learn how to cut your financing costs, avoid pitfalls, and negotiate the best terms? Then let Gary Eldred's 106 Mortgage Secrets All Borrowers Must Learn--But Lenders Don't Tell, Second Edition guide you. Fully updated, this practical guide explains how today's changing mortgage market really works. Unlike other mortgage guides, this book goes beyond traditional bank-originated loans and shows you how to benefit with seller financing, assumables, subject-to, wraparounds, lease options, foreclosures, and other money-saving possibilities. 106 Mortgage Secrets also protects you from the sharp practices of loan reps that have recently sparked Congressional hearings and multiple state investigations. In addition, Eldred shows how and why the right financing decisions can add tens (and sometimes hundreds) of thousands of dollars to your long-term net worth. With these 106 secrets, you'll build the confidence and the knowledge to: * Increase your borrowing power * Obtain the lowest interest rate * Understand the true pros and cons of ARMs * Cut (or eliminate) the cost of mortgage insurance * Save big with seller financing, assumptions, foreclosures, and REOs * Strengthen your credit profile and credit score * Avoid getting taken... by the fine print and garbage fees * Steer clear of scams and unprincipled loan reps and lenders * Accumulate wealth through homeownership and investment properties Simple, concise, and comprehensive, this book reveals everything property buyers need to know--especially the 106 financing secrets lenders too often omit.

Why fears about a looming student loan crisis are unfounded—and how they obscure what's really wrong with student lending College tuition and student debt levels have been rising at an alarming pace for at least two decades. These trends, coupled with an economy weakened by a major recession, have raised serious questions about whether we are headed for a major crisis, with borrowers defaulting on their loans in unprecedented numbers and taxpayers being forced to foot the bill. Game of Loans draws on new evidence to explain why such fears are misplaced—and how the popular myth of a looming crisis has obscured the real problems facing student lending in America. Bringing needed clarity to an issue that concerns all of us, Beth Akers and Matthew Chingos cut through the sensationalism and misleading rhetoric to make the compelling case that college remains a good investment for most students. They show how, in fact, typical borrowers face affordable debt burdens, and argue that the truly serious cases of financial hardship portrayed in the media are less common than the popular narrative would have us believe. But there are more troubling problems with student loans that don't receive the same attention. They include high rates of avoidable defaults by students who take on loans but don’t finish college—the riskiest segment of borrowers—and a dysfunctional market where competition among colleges drives tuition costs up instead of down. Persuasive and compelling, Game of Loans moves beyond the emotionally charged and politicized talk surrounding student debt, and offers a set of sensible policy proposals that can solve the real problems in student lending.

The work of Michel Foucault has become a major resource for educational researchers seeking to understand how education makes us what we are. In this book, a group of contributors explore how Foucault’s work is used in a variety of ways to explore the ‘hows’ and ‘whos’ of education policy – its technologies and its subjectivities, its oppressions and its freedoms. The book takes full advantage of the opportunities for creativity that Foucault’s ideas and methods offer to researchers in deploying genealogy, discourse, and subjectivation as analytic devices. The collection as a whole works to makes us aware that we are freer than we think! This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Education Policy.