Joseph Zajda

Education and Social Inequality in the Global Culture

Foreword.- Preface, Joseph Zajda.- Contributors.- 1. Global Convergence and Divergence in Childhood Ideologies and the Marginalization of Children, Diane M. Hoffman, Guoping Zhao.- 2. Measuring Inequities in Secondary School Attendance: The Probability of Attending Secondary School for Primary School Graduates in Nicaragua, Caroline E. Parker.- 3. Religion, International Aid, and Used Clothing: Globalisation and Mayan Literacy Revival in Guatemala, Mary Holbrock.- 4. A New Understanding of Globalisation: The Case of the Roma , Victoria Miquel-Marti, Tere Sorde-Marti.- 5. Equity Considerations in the Access to Higher Education in Central and Eastern Europe, Randal J. Zimmermann.- 6. The Process of Inclusion/Exclusion in Brazilian Schools: Data from Reality, Marta Luz Sisson De Castro, Janaina Specht Da Silva Menezes.- 7. Private Resources in Educational Finance and Equality Implications: Evidence from Peru, Mariana Alfonso.- 8. Defying the Odds: A Study of Grade 11 Female Students in Eritrea, Kara Janigan.- 9. Voices of Teachers in Academic and Vocational Secondary Schools in Egypt: Perceived Consequences of Educational Reform for Quality and Equality, Nagwa M. Megahed.- 10. Cultural Capital: What does it Offer Students? A Cross-National Analysis, Gillian Hampden-Thompson, Lina Guzman, Laura Lippman.- 11. The Institutionalization of Mass Schooling as Marginalization or Opportunity in Islamic Nation States, Alexander W. Wiseman.- Index of Names.- Index of Subjects.

Globalisation and Its Impact on Education and Policy

The article focuses on the prominence given to globalisation and discourses of globalisation in comparative educational policy and pedagogy, and the way conceptual thinking in this area has changed and developed, due to competing ideologies, forces of globalisation and political, economic and cultural transformations. In doing so, the article analyses and evaluates the shifts in methodological approaches to globalisation and its effects on education policy and pedagogy.

The Politics of Rewriting History: New History Textbooks and Curriculum Materials in Russia

The collapse of communism in Russia in 1991 necessitated, among other things, the rewriting of school history textbooks, which had been dominated by Marxist-Leninist interpretations of historical events. The aim of this article is to evaluate the new postcommunist history taught in upper secondary schools, giving particular attention to how the models for Russian identity presented in the new textbooks redefine legitimate culture for students. Attention will also be given to the multiple perspectives on history that textbooks and other curriculum materials emphasize; these new methods contrast with the grand narrative that dominated the study of history before 1991.

The New History School Textbooks in the Russian Federation: 1992-2004.

This article examines the ideologically‐articulated shifts, and the images of transformation, and nation‐building process presented in the new generation of school history textbooks in Russia. The article analyses the new content of post‐Soviet history textbooks used in Russian secondary schools that represent various transformations from communism to a western‐style democracy. It discusses the resultant issues of searching for a new national identity and citizenship during the present transitional period. It critiques the new versions of Russias post‐Soviet history taught in schools, and evaluates their officially defined status as instruments in the Russian process of ideological transformation and nation‐building, currently closely monitored by the State. In other countries, including Australia, these processes are still present but in less formal and more ad hoc ways.

Education and Policy: Changing Paradigms and Issues

The aim of the article is to consider the treatment of education and policy in the International Review of Education between 1955 and 2001. The article focuses on the changing prominence given to various topics in education and policy in IRE during the period and the way conceptual thinking in this area has changed and developed. An attempt is made to link both the shifts in focus on various educational planning policy themes and issues, and the major paradigm shifts in the area, to the changes in perceived education and policy needs and problems in each decade during the period.

Adult Education and Lifelong Learning : new developments in Russia

The article examines the impact of social change, transformation and globalization on adult education and lifelong learning in post-communist Russia. It begins with a brief economic and historical background to adult education, followed by an analysis of policy and curriculum changes. Current issues and trends in adult education are also discussed and a new post-hegemonic paradigm is proposed.

Nation-Building and History Education in a Global Culture

The chapter offers a global overview of current research in history education reforms and school history textbooks. History textbook research has been characterised by the ‘highly explosive political nature’ of history textbooks design and research (Fuchs, 2011). National and global debates in relation to history textbooks and the construction on national identity in the nation-building process are also defined and controlled by the ambivalent nexus between ideology and political expectations (that history textbooks contribute to national identity and patriotism), curricular assumptions (that quality history textbooks impact on pedagogical outcomes) and academic rigour and objectivity. History education and history curricular reforms globally demonstrate that history textbooks and their new Master Narratives, depicting significant events in the nation-building process, have been used by different nations to instil the values of patriotism, national identity and cultural heritage (Zajda, 2015c). The chapter concludes that a methodology, based on a blend of critical theory and discourse analysis, focusing on evidence and sources, the role of power and the state, unbiased interpretation and the multiperspectivity, is very useful in critiquing the overall reforms in history curricula and the content of school history textbooks.

Globalisation, Ideology and Education Reforms

The chapter focuses on the discourses of globalisation in comparative educational policy and the politics of education. It examines competing ideologies, forces of globalisation and political, economic and cultural transformations impacting on education reforms, both locally and globally. The chapter analyses and evaluates the shifts in methodological approaches to globalisation and education reforms and their impact on education policy and pedagogy.

Decentralisation and Privatisation in Education

The construct of ‘neo-liberalism’ well defines privatisation within a global convergence of educational policy discourses and practices. This study analyses initiatives for and processes of privatisation in Canadian education from K–12 to post-secondary levels. In considering how privatisation is affecting public education systems in Canada, the authors focus on the commodification and marketisation of education. They also examine issues of equity and the viability of universally accessible and publicly funded education systems. Finally, the study highlights two main interrelated trends: the intrusion of market discourse into education at all levels on one hand and on the other a growing tension between contrasting conceptions of education as a tradable commodity and as a social right. Zusammenfassung – PRIVATISIERUNG DER BILDUNG IN KANADA: EIN UBERBLICK UBER DIE TRENDS – Das Gedankengebaude des ,Neoliberalismus‘ bietet eine treffende Erklarung der Privatisierung im Rahmen einer globalen Annaherung der Bildungsdiskurse und -praktiken. Die vorliegende Studie analysiert Privatisierungsinitiativen und Privatisierungsverfahren im kanadischen Bildungssystem vom Kindergartenund Schullevel bis zur Ebene der auserschulischen Bildungsanstalten. Die Autoren richten ihre Aufmerksamkeit darauf, in welcher Weise die Privatisierung das offentliche Bildungssystem Kanadas beeinflusst, und konzentrieren sich dabei besonders auf die Tatsache, dass Bildung zur Ware gemacht und vermarktet wird. Sie untersuchen auch die Chancengleichheit und Lebensfahigkeit eines allgemein zuganglichen und offentlich geforderten Erziehungssystems. Zuletzt beleuchtet die Studie zwei zusammenhangende Haupttrends: Die zunehmende Vermarktung der Bildung auf allen Ebenen einerseits und die wachsende Spannung zwischen gegensatzlichen BildungskonResume – PRIVATISATION DE L’EDUCATION AU CANADA: ANALYSE DE TENDANCES – La pensee « neoliberaliste » definit bien la privatisation dans le cadre d’une convergence generale des discours et des pratiques en politique educative. Cette etude analyse les initiatives en faveur de la privatisation de l’education au Canada ainsi que les demarches empruntees, du jardin d’enfants a la 12e annee scolaire jusqu’a l’enseignement superieur. En analysant les consequences de la privatisation sur le systeme de l’enseignement public canadien, les auteurs traitent la question de la marchandisation et de la commercialisation de l’education. Ils abordent egalement l’equite et la viabilite des systemes educatifs d’acces universel et finances par l’Etat. Enfin, ils signalent deux grandes tendances imbriquees : d’un cote l’intrusion du debat mercantile a tous les niveaux de l’education, de l’autre une tension croissante entre les conceptions contrastees de l’education, produit commercialisable et droit social. Resumen – PRIVATIZACION DE LA EDUCACION EN CANADA: ESTUDIO DE TENDENCIAS – El pensamiento ‘neoliberal’ define muy bien la privatizacion ADAM DAVIDSON-HARDEN AND SUZANNE MAJHANOVICH

The Educational Reform and Transformation in Russia

Education reform after 1991 in the Russia Federation was an orchestrated attack on what is now perceived as the ideologically impure Soviet system of education, with its ubiquitous centralization, a bankrupt communist ideology, and bureaucratic inefficiency. Hurried attempts were made to Westernize Russian education. These early attempts at reform reflected the lack of vision, political opportunism, crisis of identity, and, in the absence of pragmatic teleological goals, a pedagogical anomie. Alternative curricula, new methodologies, and structures were offered. More importantly, a significant degree of autonomy in the teaching/learning process, previously unknown, was given to local educators. The Ministry of Education lost its power and control. In Russia, these education reforms represented a radical shift in ideology and values and appropriately typified the inevitable outcome of the global Weltanschauung of modernity.