Education in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific

Description

This book provides an up-to-date and well-grounded analysis of education in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, including the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Leading writers from throughout this region identify contemporary educational challenges, issues, and priorities while drawing upon their own ongoing empirical research. Key themes include the impact of international trends and developments; educational reform and the quality of education; indigenous learning; inclusivity; aid and development co-operation; and the changing role and place of tertiary education. Detailed studies of specific educational systems and developments are considered in the light of broader analyses that run throughout the volume.

Michael Crossley is Professor of Comparative and International Education, Director of the Research Centre for Comparative and International Research in Education and Director of the Education in Small States Research Group at the Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, UK. Greg Hancock has worked as an Australian Schools Commissioner, the Chief Education Officer of the Australian Capital Territory and most recently at AusAid and The World Bank. Terra Sprague is a researcher at the Centre for Comparative and International Research in Education at the Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, UK.

A fascinating and useful book that brings together detailed case studies of education in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific with insightful analysis that focuses upon enduring issues of quality and equity, schooling in small island states, and the impact of development assistance upon educational policymaking across the region. This book is written by a team of leading scholars working in comparative and international education, and makes a valuable addition to the field. * David Stephens, University of Brighton, UK * This is a long-awaited book on a region that is orphaned in educational research. Moving beyond a simple "education in ..." account of the Australia, New Zealand and Pacific region, the authors discuss fascinating cross-cutting trends and tensions in thirty or more countries, some of them very small, that have been affected by colonialism and globalization. A useful handbook for policy makers and educators working, or interested, in the region and an indispensable resource for researchers in the fields of comparative policy studies, small states research, and Southern theory. * Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Professor, Columbia University, USA, and Former President of the Comparative and International Education Society * In recent discussions of educational reforms globally, perspectives from the Pacific are often overlooked; so it is indeed great to see a volume that brings to our attention major shifts that are taking place in the region, not only in response to the forces of globalisation but also in relation to the cultural and political developments within the region, in which Australia and New Zealand loom large. Written by some of the leading scholars in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, the papers in this volume demonstrate the how local priorities are reconciled with challenges coming from elsewhere. * Fazal Rizvi, Professor of Global Studies in Education, The University of Melbourne, Australia *