Education policies

The Coalition Government’s ‘Green Paper’ (DfE, 2011) proposes a systemic overhaul of services for pupils with Special Educational Needs in England, with increased parental choice of provision, and “sharper accountability” (p. 67) in schools. Deadlines for various stages of this reform have not been met, and its final nature remains uncertain. This article reveals SENCOs’ insights into their changing role in this turbulent policy context. This is achieved through the thematic analysis of 227 responses to an ‘open-ended’ question in the national SENCO Survey 2012. Findings from this sample indicate that SENCOs predict schools in England will become more inclusive, with greater shared responsibility for achievement for all, and SENCOs’ increased involvement in staff training and other whole school capacity-building activities. Respondents predict a greater partnership with parents, for whom they will provide advice and links to other services. They foresee their reduced involvement in direct teaching, and an intensification of their work in other ways, especially in terms of paperwork associated with pupil tracking and other accountability measures. These changes are anticipated against a backdrop of resource cuts, requiring SENCOs to show increasing self-reliance and imagination.

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Resumo: Este trabalho explora algumas das implicações do desenvolvimento de uma antropologia ou etnografi a das dimensões transnacionais da política. A primeira parte explica o aparato conceitual básico, em termos de política como criadora de signifi cados. A segunda parte examina a política como tradução e explora suas implicações em termos de transnacionalização das políticas e, em particular, procura contrastar a tradução de políticas com noções mais ortodoxas de transferência de políticas. A terceira parte explora a tradução de políticas através de uma abordagem etnográfi ca refl exiva, desenvolvendo alguns casos baseados no envolvimento prático dos autores em reformas de políticas sociais em partes da Europa Central e do Leste. A quarta parte apresenta algumas conclusões e indica algumas objeções teóricas e éticas que podem e devem ser levantadas com relação à abordagem apresentada. Palavras-chave: Política educacional. Políticas sociais. Trasnacionalização.

يعد التعليم مهماً في تطوير قدرات الدول، ويلعب تطوير المنظومة التعليمية دور هاماً في زيادة وتحسين مستوى الإنتاجية، وتحسين معدل نمو الإنتاجية الكلية لعوامل الإنتاج، بما يؤدي إلى تحسين معدل النمو الاقتصادي، ويعتبر قياس العائد الاقتصادي من أحدى المؤشرات الهامة التي توضح مدى إسهام التعليم في التنمية الاقتصادية.

فقد تم العمل في هذه الدارسة على حساب العائد الاقتصادي على التعليم للمملكة حسب الجنس والقطاع (العام والخاص) ومستويات المهن للأعوام من (1999-2012). وقد اقتصرت الدراسة إلى النتائج الرئيسية التالية:

أولاً: تشير قيم معدل العائد الاقتصادي على التعليم في الأردن بأنها منخفضة جدا مقارنة مع الدول الأخرى، إذ لم تتجاوز معدلات العائد الاقتصادي لكلا الجنسين حدّ (5.95%)، فقد بلغ معدل العائد خلال الفترة الزمنية للدراسة بالمتوسط نحو (5.45%)، وقد لوحظ أن هنالك تفاوت في معدلات العائد على التعليم للذكور على الإناث، إذ بلغ معدل العائد خلال الفترة الزمنية للدراسة بالمتوسط للذكور والإناث نحو: (5.5%) و (5.24%) على التوالي، ويفسر هذا التفاوت إلى ارتفاع أعداد العاملين من الذكور في سوق العمل الأردني.
ثانياً: على المستوى القطاعي، فأشارت النتائج إلى أن معدلات العائد الاقتصادي في اتجاه تصاعدي، ومن الجدير بالذكر أن معدلات العائد في نهاية التسعينيات سجلت ارتفاعاُ في القطاع العام لجنس الذكور، في حين أنعكس هذه الارتفاع ليصبح في القطاع الخاص لجنس الذكور.

ثالثاً: على مستويات المهن، فقد بلغ أعلى معدلات للعائد في مهن المشرعين وموظفو الإدارة العليا، فقد تراوحت هذه المعدلات بين (5%-6%) خلال الأعوام من (1999-2012)، إذ أن معدلات العائد للذكور أفضل من الإناث حسب مستويات المهن، فقد بلغت المعدلات في مهن المشرعين وموظفو الإدارة العليا نحو (6.88%) خلال العام 2012، ويدل انخفاض العائد للإناث حسب مستويات المهن على قلة مشاركة عدد النساء العاملات في تلك المهن مقارنة مع الذكور.

رابعاً: في إضافة نوعية للدراسة، فقد تم احتساب معدلات العائد حسب مستويات التعليم، إذ أظهرت النتائج أن معدلات العائد لمستويات التعليم (16+) أعلى من المستويات الأخرى، إذ تراوحت المعدلات ما بين (5.47%-6.30%) خلال الأعوام من (1999-2012). وعلى مستوى الجنس والقطاع، فأن معدلات العائد حسب مستويات التعليم، فأظهرت أن هنالك فروقات بين المعدلات للذكور على الإناث العائد لمستويات التعليم (16+) أعلى من المستويات الأخرى، في حين شهدت معدلات العائد حسب مستويات التعليم للقطاع العام والخاص تطوراً، فقد سجلت هذه المعدلات ارتفاعاً ملحوظاً في القطاع العام للذكور في مستويات التعليم (16+) أعلى من المستويات الأخرى، إلا أن معدلات العائد للإناث في القطاع الخاص كانت افضل من القطاع العام في مستويات التعليم (16+) خلال الأعوام من    (1999-2012).

خامساً: في مقارنة معدلات العائد الاقتصادي بمتوسط دخل الفرد في الأردن، لوحظ أن هنالك علاقة طردية بينهما، إذ أنه كلما كان مستوى دخل الفرد مرتفعاً فأن معدل العائد ترتفع أيضاً، وتتضارب هذه النتيجة مع التوقعات النظرية الذي تستند على نظرية راس المال البشري بوجود علاقة عكسية بين معدل العائد ومتوسط دخل الفرد، ويمكن تفسير ذلك أن نصيب دخل الفرد من الناتج المحلي الإجمالي قليل مقارنة مع الدول العربية والعالمية الأخرى، بالإضافة إلى أن معدل التغير في نصيب الفرد يكون اكثر من معدل التغير في العائد.

ووفقاً لهذه النتائج، فإن التوصية الهامة في هذا الصدد التركيز على تطوير المنظومة التعليمية والتي ستساهم على تطوير العاملين في الأردن، ولا يكون ذلك إلا من خلال تحسين شروط إنتاج العاملين وخاصة في المؤسسات التعليمية، بالإضافة إلى أن معدلات العائد الاقتصادي تزداد بازدياد المستوى التعليمي، فعلى الحكومة أن تعمل على تقديم الدعم بشكل اكثر لقطاع التعليم العالي، خصوصاً أن العديد من مؤسسات التعليم العالي تعاني من أزمات مالية كبيرة، فمساندة تلك المؤسسات سيكون له الأثر الإيجابي بازدياد عدد العاملين المتعلمين ورفع مستويات المهارات في سوق العمل، مما سينعكس ذلك بشكل افضل على معدلات الأجور وانخفاض نسب الفقر والبطالة.

بالإضافة إلى فانه يجب العمل على تكثيف الاستثمار في التكنولوجيا المتقدمة والرفيعة، على اعتبار تحسين المستوى التكنولوجي في الاقتصاد الأردني سوف يؤدي على زيادة الطلب على الخريجين الجامعيين ولا سيما في القطاع الخاص. وسيساهم هذا الإجراء إلى توطين العاملين الأردنيين في الأردن والحد من ظاهرة هجرة الكفاءات إلى خارج الدولة، وإن أهم التوصيات المتعلقة بعوائد التعليم تنطلق من الحاجة إلى تعظيم هذه العوائد بزيادة الفوارق بين أجور الفئات التعليمية، بهدف تحسين شروط الانخراط في المراحل التعليمية الأعلى وعدم الاكتفاء بالتعليم الأساسي.

Compared to the few public higher education institutions in the prewar era, postwar Somalia boasts a large number of academic institutions at the tertiary level, mainly as privately owned universities. Although these community-initiated academic establishments are making tremendous contributions to the higher education sector, particularly in the absence of an effective national government, one can argue that much still remains at stake in terms of evaluation and quality assurance, key elements necessary for institutional accreditation and acceptance of credentials by other educational establishments issuing the same level of certificates. In this essay we aim to provide an overview discussion of the trends of higher education in Somalia and the way forward for newly emerged institutions, which have taken the bold initiative of changing the landscape of Somalia’s higher education.

Although a great paucity exists in scholarly studies on education in Somalia, the scarcity is more evident in the English studies area, particularly English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) (used interchangeably in this study), where almost none had existed until Mohamed Eno's MA TESOL Dissertation in 2005 and his recent article in the Journal of Somali Studies in 2017. Influenced by both the paucity and the latter study in 2017 1 , which recommended further examination of ESL/EFL area studies, this research investigates EFL students' perceptions of what they consider as more motivating or most motivating skill among the four second language acquisition (SLA) skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing. 2 Consequently, the results reveal that learners do not perceive more listening as a very motivating factor compared to more speaking, identified as the most motivating skill and ahead of more writing in the overall ratings. With very low results on the whole, more reading, on the other hand, is much below both speaking and writing in significance, though ahead of listening as a potential motivator. Interestingly, the findings also reveal persistent learner misunderstanding of the interlinkedness of the four skills, with a misperception that acquisition of one skill is independent of the others, as captured from an analysis of the vagaries in their responses.

The Independent Evaluation Group is an independent unit within the World Bank Group; it reports directly to the Bank's Board of Executive Directors. IEG assesses what works, and what does not; how a borrower plans to run and maintain a project; and the lasting contribution of the Bank to a country's overall development. The goals of evaluation are to learn from experience, to provide an objective basis for assessing the results of the Bank's work, and to provide accountability in the achievement of its objectives. It also improves Bank work by identifying and disseminating the lessons learned from experience and by framing recommendations drawn from evaluation findings.

Different Southeast Asian countries have embraced different language-ineducation policies and practices for classroom instruction. In some, such as Vietnam, explicit language policies have been in place for decades and need reviewing in the light of emerging social issues and their relevance to global and regional trends. In others, such as the newly independent Timor Leste, adopting a relevant language policy is critical to the country's drive towards nationbuilding. This volume is largely based on the presentations and deliberations of the consultative conference, and it aims to bring together, in a single volume: a) relevant legislation and national policies and regulations related to the use of the mother tongue as the language of instruction. b) some case studies of projects or initiatives introduced by various countries' Ministries of Education, written up by identified experts, and annotated by international experts and consultants. c) policy recommendations and region-wide strategies.

Within the context of a broad literature on cross border flows of students who seek higher education, this research examines the case of international students mobility in Turkey and the problems, advantages and barriers of the country possibly being an Education Hub. By adding “barriers” factor to Altbach’s push-pull model, this paper defines a new model called the “Push, Pull, Barrier (PPB) model” of international student mobility with which the reality behind the internationalization trend in higher education in Turkey can be understand better.

El enfoque de formación por competencias es considerado en numerosos círculos intelectuales y de educadores como una estrategia neoliberal, que apunta a la formación de la mano de obra que el mercado necesita. Al restringir el enfoque a una de sus versiones, la de recursos humanos y mercados, y no considerar que hay otras, algunas de las cuales arrancan a mediados del siglo XX cuando el neoliberalismo aún no existía, se restringen posibilidades para generar nuevas interpretaciones respecto de temas tan cruciales como educación, conocimientos y prácticas pedagógicas. El presente trabajo articula dimensiones de la filosofía del conocimiento, las políticas educativas, y la práctica pedagógica en las aulas, articulando una reflexión que obliga a pensar en que los cambios -la transformación de la educación- ni siquiera se ha iniciado.

African scholarly research is relatively invisible globally because, even though research production on the continent is growing in absolute terms, it is falling in comparative terms. In addition, traditional metrics of visibility, such as the Impact Factor, fail to make legible all African scholarly production. And many African universities also do not take a strategic approach to scholarly communication to broaden the reach of their scholars’ work.

To address this challenge, the Scholarly Communication in Africa Programme (SCAP) was established to help raise the visibility of African scholarship by mapping current research and communication practices in Southern African universities and by recommending and piloting technical and administrative innovations based on open access dissemination principles. To do this, SCAP conducted extensive research in four faculties at the Universities of Botswana, Cape Town, Mauritius and Namibia.

In the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Commerce, SCAP found that scholars:
• remain unconvinced by open access dissemination
• find it easier to collaborate with scholars in the global North than in the rest of Africa
• rarely communicate their research with government
• tread a fine line between their quest for (academic) prestige and their quest for (social) relevance
• show little interest in producing “alternative” outputs (e.g. policy briefs, reports, etc.) that non-academic audiences would find more accessible than traditional journal articles
• seldom utilise social media technologies to disseminate their work or seek new collaborative opportunities.

All of these factors impact UCT’s research in/visibility at a time when scholarly communication is going through dramatic technical, legal, social and ethical changes.

“Scholarly Communication at the University of Cape Town” shares the results of SCAP’s research and advocacy efforts at UCT’s Faculty of Commerce. It not only analyses the faculty’s scholarly communication ecosystem, but illuminates the opportunities available for raising the visibility of its scholarship. It concludes with a series of recommendations that would enhance the communicative and developmental potential of the university’s research as a whole.

This study will be of interest for scholars of African higher education, academically linked civil society organisations, educationally affiliated government personnel and university researchers and managers.

Romania's long-term economic sustainability and the long-term viability of the country's social protection system crucially depend on the success of Roma inclusion. The Romanian Roma is poor, vulnerable, and socially excluded, severely limiting opportunities to contribute to Romania's economic growth and shared prosperity. Even when important background characteristics are held constant, merely being a Roma remains a key determinant of living in poverty. Promoting Roma inclusion in Romania should be based on concerted efforts, following a dual-purpose approach comprising: (i) a comprehensive understanding of the dimensions of exclusion faced by Roma; and (ii) improving service delivery within each of, as well as across these dimensions. In an effort to streamline policy recommendations and to focus on the most effective areas of intervention, the main focus in this report is on three dimensions of exclusion: education, earning opportunities for families, and basic servic...

All rights reserved 1 2 3 4 11 10 09 08 This volume is a product of the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this volume do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgement on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Contents • vii

The title “Turnovers and the Status Quo, Implications on Ideological and Pedagogical Transmission/Continuity of Teacher Quality” is an exploratory case study which looks into Teacher Quality issues in the context of Saint Pedro Poveda College, a private exclusive-girl Catholic school.
Turnovers and the status quo of complacency and superiority, relevant to employment status, are viewed as major issues of Teacher Quality. These two issues in view of annual turnovers at probationary period and the status quo of complacency and superiority in tenureship are deemed factors that could seemingly undermine the transmission of the institution’s ethos/ideology and pedagogical continuity in maintaining Teacher Quality. The locus of Teacher Quality making is theoretically deemed to be in a Continuum of Processual Movements which progressively evolves in three levels: Fundamental referring to entry probation; Developmental, referring to movement from probation to tenureship; and Transcendental referring to ultimate teacher vocation.
The research on Teacher Quality generally aims to explore and investigate on turnovers and the status quo issues arguably affecting and undermining transmission and continuity of Povedan Pedagogy, the brand of its seeming quality education. It uses the phenomenological interpretive approach drawing its findings / data from the narrations of experiences and perceptions of five informants from the school.
The analysis of the findings and points of contention shall be framed within my given presuppositions, termed as Continuum of Processual Movements which shall then be in juxtaposition with specific points theorized by John Smyth and Geoffrey Shacklock, Diane Reay, Stephen J. Ball, and Meg Maguire relevant to ‘quality, performativity, social inequality and teacher reconstruction’.

Keywords: Teacher Quality, Turnover, Status Quo, Tenureship, Teacher Vocation

This PhD thesis presents an anthropological analysis of informal education activities among two French autochthonous communities: the Wayana-Apalaï people, living in French Guiana, and the Enata people, in French Polynesia. Thanks to the data gathered through a long term ethnographic fieldwork, it was determined the time dedicated to educational interactions in the domestic environment, the dominant educational styles and the educational logic of both communities. The educational dynamic has been interpreted as a process of transmission of cultural data related to a natural and social landscape. The results obtained show that educational strategies applied by Wayana-Apalaï and Enata educators are shaped by the constraints of the post-colonial dynamics and the requirements imposed by the global market economy.

This thesis was based on the analysis of the "international cooperation" and diplomatic-economic relations established between the Brazilian and Mozambican governments during 2004-2015. The specific aim was to understand how the Brazilian cooperation in Mozambique relates to the World Bank's (which is considered as a collective intellectual in the Gramscian sense) reform agenda, especially on the trainment of Mozambican State staff and the national workforce. The research was based on the method of historical-dialectical materialism.
Documents from the World Bank, IMF, OECD, UN, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCO and UNFPA were analyzed in order to systematize the theoretical formulations and the recommendations on educational policies for Mozambique. We also analyzed the
agreements signed by the governments of Brazil and Mozambique during 2004-2015. We identified agreements related to private interests, agreements related to "poverty alleviation" and agreements promoting the restructuring of the Mozambican State. High number of agreements establishes "professional qualification" of State staff, following
the "pedagogy of competences". By combining the analysis of the expropriations provoked by the Brazilian companies in Mozambique to the analysis of the "cooperation agreements", we point out the materiality of the "pedagogical" character of the Brazilian activity in Mozambique: the combination of expropriation and repression assumes a "negative" educational character (teaches how you should not act), while actions for
"poverty alleviation" and education fulfill the "positive" educational function (teaches how to act, diffuses habits and mental dispositions). Finally, we present a thought about education in capital-imperialism times. In our perspective, the unequal integration of the productive forces demands that the peripheric nations’ education policies assume a highly pragmatic character, since in the globalized market, the labor force is incorporated in the list of the country's  "comparative advantages" , which can attract
or repel investors. National education systems are restructured according to different demands, concerning the model of development, the type of capital prevailing in the region, the potential for exploitation of natural resources and labor power, and the context of class struggle. In peripheral nations, the conjugation of the positive and negative functions of the educating state becomes increasingly latent. Thus, schools assume the role of providing the minimum education necessary to adapt workers to
unstable market conditions. There are no limits to the precariousness of education, since even the most precarious schools fulfill the function of granting certificates and "disciplining" the working class.

In questo lavoro si presenta una riflessione sul processo di attuazione avviato con la riforma del nuovo apprendistato (L. 196/97). A partire dai processi di cambiamento che hanno investito le regioni italiane, lo studio evidenzia la complessità che accompagna il percorso di avvicinamento di settori di policy tradizionalmente distinti e, in particolare, l’importanza del livello di governo intermedio. L’attenzione viene rivolta al ruolo svolto dalle strutture di meso-implementazione e al modo in cui esse incarnano i nuovi compiti di gestione loro attribuiti da politiche caratterizzate da un forte coordinamento. All’interno del nuovo quadro politico-istituzionale, infatti, si sviluppano e si sperimentano geometrie variabili tra una pluralità di attori istituzionali che interpretando e agendo le loro scelte quotidiane danno vita e visibilità alla più volte richiamata prospettiva di governance. Nella ricerca del nuovo possibile equilibrio, sempre dinamico e cangiante, assume un particolare rilievo il modo in cui si costruisce il governo locale; il modo in cui si affronta e si gestisce la natura complessa dei problemi da trattare localmente; il modo in cui si informano e si integrano le conoscenze parziali, settoriali e specialistiche attinenti ad ogni singolo settore di policy, ai fini di una programmazione-gestione locale effettivamente coerente con le esigenze di sviluppo territoriale. Il cambiamento culturale politico e istituzionale comporta una evidente ricaduta sulle strutture di implementazione intermedia. La dimensione del governo locale acquisisce una centralità prima mai considerata nel nostro assetto politico e socio-economico. Vengono così a delinearsi nuovi orizzonti di competenza che interessano, in special modo, il management delle strutture istituzionali-amministrative chiamate a garantire, attraverso una gestione efficace del loro margine di autonomia, la costituzione e la gestione di sistemi educativi complessi. La ricerca si colloca nel filone dell’analisi delle politiche pubbliche e adotta un approccio che si propone di leggere, in chiave descrittivo-interpretativa, la parabola di questo processo di traduzione che ruota attorno al concetto di integrazione.

Desde la sanción de la Ley Federal de Educación se han producido importantes cambios en el sistema educativo argentino y, en particular, en el entrerriano, no sólo en relación con aspectos estrictamente curriculares, sino también respecto de la organización y estructuración institucional, cambios que, en muchos casos, se plantearon a nivel jurisdiccional a través de la Ley Provincial de Educación Nº 9330, sancionada en 2001. A más de diez años de la

World Bank Working Papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's work to the development community with the least possible delay. The manuscript of this paper therefore has not been prepared in accordance with the procedures appropriate to formally-edited texts. Some sources cited in this paper may be informal documents that are not readily available. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank of the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The material in this publication is copyrighted. Copying and/or transmitting portions or all of this work without permission may be a violation of applicable law. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank encourages dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission promptly to reproduce portions of the work.

"African scholarly research is relatively invisible globally because, even though research production on the continent is growing in absolute terms, it is falling in comparative terms. In addition, traditional metrics of visibility, such as the Impact Factor, fail to make legible all African scholarly production. And many African universities also do not take a strategic approach to scholarly communication to broaden the reach of their scholars’ work.

To address this challenge, the Scholarly Communication in Africa Programme (SCAP) was established to help raise the visibility of African scholarship by mapping current research and communication practices in Southern African universities and by recommending and piloting technical and administrative innovations based on open access dissemination principles. To do this, SCAP conducted extensive research in four faculties at the Universities of Botswana, Cape Town, Mauritius and Namibia.

In the University of Mauritius Faculty of Science, SCAP found that scholars:
• carry heavy teaching and administrative loads which hinder their research productivity
• feel positive about the merits of open access communication, but neither they nor the university has an OA dissemination strategy that would capitalize on this sentiment
• find it easier to collaborate with scholars in the global North than in the rest of Africa
• rarely communicate their research with government
• tend to engage in small, locally-based research projects that are either unfunded or funded by the university
• do not utilize social media technologies to disseminate their work or seek new collaborative opportunities.

All of these factors impact UoM’s research in/visibility at a time when scholarly communication is going through dramatic technical, legal, social and ethical changes.

“Scholarly Communication at the University of Mauritius” shares the results of SCAP’s research and advocacy efforts at UoM’s Faculty of Science. It not only analyses the faculty’s scholarly communication ecosystem, but illuminates the opportunities available for raising the visibility of its scholarship. It concludes with a series of recommendations that would enhance the communicative and developmental potential of the university’s research as a whole.

This study will be of interest for scholars of African higher education, academically linked civil society organizations, educationally affiliated government personnel and university researchers and managers."

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 5 covering a range of educational sectors, institutions and stakeholders, bringing the total number of participants at this Forum to 293. (See Appendix 7 for a full list of participants.)

STOFF-projektet (Specialpedagogiska stodatgarder i grundskolan – omfattning, former och effekter) ar ett forskningsprojekt nara knutet till det longitudinella UGU-projektet (Utvardering Genom Uppfoljning), Institutionen for pedagogik och specialpedagogik, Goteborgs universitet. De tva enkaterna till studien som denna rapport bygger pa har konstruerats av medarbetare i STOFF-projektet medan datainsamlingen och inlasningen av enkatsvaren har genomforts av Statistiska centralbyran, Orebro. STOFF-projektet finansieras av medel fran Vetenskapsradet.

Qëllimi i këtij artikulli është të analizojë përvojën e Shqipërisë gjatë viteve 2004-2010 në reformimin e menaxhimit të financave në arsim në lidhje me përmirësimin e efikasitetit, cilësisë dhe qasjes në arsim, në mënyrë që të ndikojë mbi politikat arsimore duke vlerësuar impaktin e tyre dhe ofruar rekomandime për ti përmirësuar ato. Artikulli synon gjithashtu të vlerësojë deri në çfarë mase investimet në arsimin 9 vjeçar gjatë periudhës 2004-2010 nëpërmjet sistemit të granteve konkurruese kanë korrigjuar ndryshimet sistematike midis rretheve në Shqipëri.

Deri në vitin 2006 në Shqipëri, financimi qeveritar për investimet e vogla lokale në shkolla jepeshin nga ministritë e linjës në formën e granteve të kushtëzuara. Në vitin 2006, qeveria futi një skemë të re ku fondet e investimeve për arsimin ndaheshin nga Këshillat e Qarqeve bazuar në prioritetet rajonale. Në vitin 2007 u zgjerua skema e grantit konkurrues për të përfshirë investimet në sektorin e arsimit duke ja hequr Këshillave të Qarqeve.

Deri në vitin 2009 investimet në arsimin parauniversitar janë kryer përmes sistemit të granteve konkurruese bazuar në kritere cilësore. Një renditje paraprake e projekteve që mund të financoheshin bëhej nga Drejtoritë Arsimore Rajonale (DAR) / Zyrat Arsimore (ZA) në bazë të prioriteteve rajonale. Një Sekretariati Teknik në Ministrinë e Arsimit dhe Shkencës (MASH), vlerësonte projekt-propozimet dhe dërgonte listën në Komitetin Ndërministror, i përbërë nga përfaqësuesit e Ministrisë së Financave, MASH, Ministrisë së Brendshme dhe përfaqësues të shoqatave të bashkive/komunave.

Politika e shpërndarjes së fondeve nëpërmjet një sistemi konkurrues tentoi të pasqyronte shpërndarjen gjeografike të aplikimeve, së bashku me cilësinë e tyre teknike dhe de facto kushtëzohej nga madhësia e çdo projekti. Edhe pse MASH ka përcaktuar një sërë prioritetesh të investimeve gjeografike, ajo duhet të mbështetet në kërkesat e qeverive lokale për t'i zbatuar ato.

Prioritetet për investime në shkolla ndryshojnë shumë mes kërkesave të bashkive/komunave. Shkollat janë ndërtuar në kohë të ndryshme dhe kanë qenë subjekt të neglizhencës gjatë viteve. Ndryshimet në shpërndarjen e popullsisë së Shqipërisë ndikon edhe në urgjencën e investimeve në fusha të ndryshme. Migrimi nga zonat rurale në urbane ka lënë disa objekte arsimore pothuajse bosh dhe të tjerat të mbipopulluara (p.sh. shkollat që kanë tre turne). Prandaj është e rëndësishme të vlerësohet në çfarë mase ndarja e granteve në bazë të kërkesave të investimeve nga qeveritë lokale është në përputhje me nevojat objektive të sistemeve shkollore lokale dhe shërben për të cilësinë dhe vendosur barazinë mes rajoneve.

Metodologjia e hulumtimit konsistoi në propozimin e treguesve të thjeshtë të nevojave dhe krahasimin e nevojave me impaktin e shpërndarjes së granteve duke krahasuar gjithë rrethet e Shqipërisë.

Pika e nisjes në metodologji ishte krijimi i një kuadri hulumtim të fortë në mënyrë që të sigurojë përqasje shpjeguese dhe bashkë-relacionale, informacion të plotë ndihmues nga një zonë sa më e gjerë, për të transformuar gjetjet në rekomandime për përmirësimin e politikave. Metodologjia përfshiu rishikimin e literaturës, mbledhjen e të dhënave nga MASH, institucionet në vartësi të MASH, Ministria e Financave, Ministria e Brendshme dhe bashkitë. Intervistat e hapura u përdorën për të mbledhur informacion sa më cilësor nga ekspertë dhe aktorë të tjerë. Hapi tjetër ishte analiza kritike e të dhënave të mbledhura dhe zhvillimi i diskutimeve mbi mënyrat se si mund të përmirësohet sistemi.

La política económica-educativa desplegada en las últimas dos décadas en Costa Rica ha dispuesto que la educación, principalmente pública, se concentre en preparar la mano de obra que los sectores industria y comercio, especialmente los relacionados con la Inversión Extranjera Directa, requieren. Dentro de este marco de acción se resimbolizó el valor social del aprendizaje del inglés en este país y se le asignaron poderes que antes esta lengua no tenía, como el de facilitar la consecución de una plaza laboral mejor pagada que en los sectores productivos tradicionales, ruta dentro de la que se abandona la pobreza material. El propósito de este ensayo es analizar, desde la perspectiva del Bachillerato y Licenciatura en la enseñanza del inglés de l a Sede de Occidente, la idea de pobreza dentro de la que está inmersa la política educativa y sobre la cual se resimbolizó la enseñanza y el aprendizaje del inglés. Este análisis se aproxima desde los Derechos Humanos Fundamentales y desde los postulados dentro de los que la universidad pública se propone contribuir con las transformaciones que el país necesita  para  el  logro  del  bien  común.  Se  concluye  que  si  una  actividad  académica,  como  la  enseñanza  del inglés,  se  encierra  en  una  idea  reducida  de  pobreza  en  el  afán  de  contribuir  a  la  mejoría  de  la  situación socioeconómica de individuos, peligra reproducir otros tipos de pobrezas que no son tan perceptibles pero que, desde los Derechos Humanos Fundamentales y los postulados de la universidad pública, van en  detrimento de toda la sociedad.

ABSTRACT
The international process of Globalization, the spread of Neoliberalism and the resulting increment of South-North and rural-urban migrations, have not only increased the cultural complexity of our societies, but also the inequality among their citizens. In Mexico and in China, the latter has affected primarily the ethnic minorities. The two countries’ Educational Systems have tried to address this issue by extending the coverage of their service and by developing a series of differentiated strategies to give especial attention to these populations. However, the socioeconomic situation of minorities and their educational attainment remain in disadvantage when compared to the national average. They are not only the poorest both in China and in Mexico, but also the ones with the least opportunities to receive quality education, with smaller matriculation figures, with lower education attainment and with higher rates of desertion.
While education is recognized as a tool for development, and for broadening the opportunities of people to escalate the social ladder, the lack of linguistic and cultural sensitiveness in State educational policies addressed the minority groups, has hindered the possibility for them to participate in society on an equal footing, and to fulfill their personal aspirations.
The Intercultural Education (IE) and Intercultural Bilingual Education (IBE) models emerged as a response to the problems of diglossia and inequality that characterize most multicultural societies. They emphasize the need for providing relevant education and for involving the different stakeholders, in the design and implementation of State educational policies, in order to offer an effective differentiated attention to minority groups that will guarantee them an equal opportunity to receive quality education and to enhance their life conditions.
This paper starts by describing the problem of inequality that affects mainly minority groups in China and in Mexico and by giving an historical account of both States ́ educational policies towards these populations. It continues by analyzing to what extent the Mexican and Chinese States have incorporated the principles of the IE and IBE models, to address the worrisome problem of inequality and to foster interculturalism in their multicultural societies. Comparing the experiences of the two countries, helped to put into perspective the policies developed until now, identify their drawbacks, challenges and potential, and provide a few suggestions for improvement based on the knowledge of each country ́s successful measures and avoidable mistakes.

E’ sotto gli occhi di tutti che ci troviamo all’interno di un cambiamento straordinario in cui siamo
coinvolti come persone, come istituzioni e come organizzazioni. Questo cambiamento storico
investe, talvolta drammaticamente, anche le agenzie educative che hanno istituzionalmente il
compito di accompagnare i soggetti a trovare un loro posto nella società, attraverso
l’interiorizzazione di norme e valori (Durkheim, 1987; Parsons, 1951) e l’acquisizione di
conoscenze e competenze (OCSE, 2010, 2011; OECD, 2006, 2012/a, 2012/b) spendibili nella vita
sociale e nel lavoro.
Le agenzie educative vivono con molta difficoltà questa fase di transizione. Si può forse dire che il
motivo che è alla radice di questo diffuso disagio si può rintracciare nel fatto che oggi ci troviamo a
vivere in un sistema che non è più “chiuso”

We are glad to conclude and share a new issue of IJEP. This volume of IJEP gives us hope and courage to continue to cry for educational rights, justice, equity and freedom. Of course we know how "utopic" can be conceived what we believe and head for! We believe that many, millions of people desire and deserve these we cry for. Neoliberal allies argue that not exist such a place other than global capitalist hegemony and neoliberal policies for all aspects of life. What we still continue to think on and struggle for is to make "another world is possible".

Latin American school feeding programs are public social policies with multiple goals and benefits. These actions have taken on a varied scope as they address concerns related to health, education, social welfare and economic development. As education policies they have become visible instruments that guarantee equality and opportunities for students. They are deemed a surefire way for expanding the educational spectrum, at the same time they bring health benefits. Whether by supporting ways to prevent food-related diseases, as seen in developed countries, or as a supplement for nutritional needs, as it is seen in developing countries. Our analysis of the policies used the comparative method and looked at the similarities and differences between Bolivia, Brazil and Chile in terms of how these countries design and implement their school meal programs. We identified comparative variables of a qualitative nature, and employed them to approach the historic, economic, social, cultural and political backdrops. Hence, the purpose of this thesis is to comparatively study school meal programs in Bolivia, Brazil and Chile, and analyze contexts, references, goals, strategies and the results obtained at the mark of paradigm shifts taking place from the time they were created up to the present time. The first paradigmatic point is that when meal programs were encouraged, boosted and instated by international agencies in the mid th century. That time was called germination, in the botanical sense of seeds sprouting, budding, that is, when policies were created or not. The second point was situated around the year 2000, as the Millennium Development Goals were set. Back then the results of the programs implemented were used, and their experiences served as the basis for a new time to sow. In that shift we have identified the difference between policies that fight hunger and, as they progress, policies oriented toward nutrition.

In Brazil, the trajectories of institutionalization of environmental education policies were marked by efforts of fostering social mobilization around environmental issues. This paper aims to discuss the challenges of constructing participatory democracy in Brazil by trajectories of institutionalization of environmental education policies. The text presents the environmental education main legislation and its national system focusing on the public structure for environmental edu- cation in the State of Rio de Janeiro (in southeast Brazil), from 2007 to 2013. The work also overviews the policies developed by the State Secretary of the Environment in non-formal and formal education and present the methodology of the Elos da Cidadania (Links of Citizenship) Program, which was developed in public schools
with the purpose of promoting teacher and student's participation in environment councils and commissions. Finally, it discusses the challenges of institutionalizing critical environmental educa- tion pari passu with the challenges of constructing democracy in Brazil.
(Key words: Brazilian environmental education, critical environmental education, environmental education policies, participatory democracy, policy implementation)