Politics and Knowledge Shaping Educational Reform

A global study of how evidence and ideology compete for prominence in the design, implementation and evaluation of education reform.

Presenting ten global cases studies, this book shows how evidence and ideology compete for prominence in the design, implementation and evaluation of education reform. It challenges prevailing models of top-down policy making, making it essential reading for practitioners, policy makers and researchers of international education policy and reform.Have you ever wondered why education is always being reformed? This book provides ten case studies from all corners of the globe that illustrate how politics and data clash as education policies are developed, enacted, and assessed. A follow-up to the authors' previous book, Implementing Educational Reform, it highlights trends such as politicisation, showing where successful policies have been dropped, and where failed policies persist for ideological ends. Drawing on examples from South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda, Peru, Portugal, post-Soviet states and the UK, it shows how education policy can be disruptive and abrupt, or consensual and gradual. It challenges the managerial model of education reform that has dominated the last thirty years of education reform thinking, ultimately deepening our understanding of the importance of practical knowledge in designing and implementing policies. It is essential reading for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers of education research, education policy, and international education reform.