Examining Educational Policy in Latin America

Think linearities: smooth transitions from dictatorship to democracy; the implications of economic globalisation for educational systems; the wise advice of international agencies about how to reform teacher education; the beneficial results of investing more money in the improvement of educational systems; the advantages of decentralisation. Now read this book about Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru and see how expected linearities become non-linear and solutions to problems become unpredictable. An excellent addition to the literature: a theory shock for practical people and a practical shock for theoreticians.

Robert Cowen, Emeritus Professor, University College London Institute of Education.

Latin America has been a laboratory of global education policy for decades. Nonetheless, joining the global policy conversation is not a synonym of meaningful and effective policy change, as this book brilliantly shows. In their chapters, the authors reflect on the main challenges of enacting policy instruments and sustaining policy change in different instances: from official discourses and public regulations to classroom practices. This ambitious and perfectly-executed joint research initiative covers a wide range of relevant policy trajectories in a carefully selected sample of countries from one of the most unequal and politically polarized world regions. Must-read for scholars, students, policy-makers and social activists trying to understand recent policy trends in Latin American education, but also how to advance equitable educational change in increasingly globalized policy spaces.

Antoni Verger, Professor, Department of Sociology, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona

There has been no comprehensive, up to date overview of educational change in Latin America – there is now. This book offers us a set of accessible, research informed insights into the complex, contradictory and controversial agendas of education reform in major Latin American countries. It explores, critically and reflexively, the tensions and struggles between neoliberalism and social justice that inform and incite the processes of reform. It examines the tensions and struggles between local initiatives and the global education reform movement. This will become the standard text to which researchers, students and policy analysts interested in Latin American turn.

Stephen J Ball, Emeritus Professor of Sociology of Education, University College London.

Axel Rivas and his colleagues offer us an outstanding volume of interdisciplinary research to understand and act on the long-standing --and seemingly increasing-- educational inequalities in Latin America. This is an exceptional book, bringing together 19 scholars from six Latin American countries, who creatively and rigorously avoided ineffective rigid ideological analysis, while considering local nuances and regional commonalities, to develop an original and comprehensive framing of educational policies in Latin America. A timely contribution, much needed to understand and transform some of the most unequal and unfair educational systems in the world.

Gustavo E. Fischman
Professor, Arizona State University | Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

I warmly welcome the book edited by Axel Rivas, Examining Educational Policy in Latin America: Comprehensive Insights into Contemporary Reform. It is a collection of essays that add valuable insights to the study of educational reforms of this century in Latin America. With clear and concise prose, sound arguments, and a solid empirical base, the distinguished authors illustrate the complexities of educational policy in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. They pay attention to the global context and each country's political and economic vicissitudes. It is an outstanding book, a must-read for those interested in comparative and international education.

Carlos Ornelas, Professor of Education, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City.