Joseph Zajda 
Globalisation, Ideology and Education Policy Reforms 

Globalisation, Ideology and Education Policy Reforms, which is the 11th volume in the 12-volume book series Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research, presents scholarly research on major discourses concerning globalisation and the politics of education reforms. It reviews some of the ideological imperatives fueling education reforms. It examines critically education reforms within their social, political and global dimensions. It provides an easily accessible, practical yet scholarly source of information about recent developments in globalisation, ideology and trends in education reforms. Above all, the book offers the latest fi- ings to the critical issues concerning major discourses surrounding the nexus between ideology and education reforms in the global culture. It is a sourcebook of ideas for researchers, practitioners and policy makers in education, and schooling around the world. It offers a timely overview of current policy issues affecting education reforms globally. It provides directions in education, and policy research, relevant to progressive pedagogy, social change and transformational educational reforms in the twenty-first century. The book critically examines the overall interplay between the state, ideology and current discourses of education reforms in the global culture. It draws upon recent studies in the areas of globalisation, academic achievement, standards, equity and the role of the State (Apple 2004; Carnoy 1999; Zajda et al. 2008). It explores conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches applicable in the research covering the State, globalisation and quality-driven education reforms.

Table of Content

Main Trends and Issues.- The Politics of the New History School Textbooks in the Russian Federation.- Constructing the Australian School History Curriculum: Ideology, High Politics and the History Wars in the Howard Years.- Teachers, History Wars and Teaching History Grade 6 in Greece.- Why Educational Reforms Fail: The Emergence and Failure of an Educational Reform: A Case Study from Israel.- Japanese National Curriculum Standards Reform: Integrated Study and Its Challenges.- Implementation of Education Reform Policies: The Issue of Structural and Cultural Discordance.- Education Reforms: Implication for Democracy.- Education in China: The Urban/Rural Disparity Explained.- The Academic Achievement Gap in Israel: Inequality in Education.- Stories of Difference: Metropolitan and Rural Students’ Attitudes to University.- Teachers Surviving to Teach: Implications for Post-Soviet Education and Society in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.- The Politics of Education Reforms and Policy Shifts in the Russian Federation.