Full Description
This book in the International Perspectives on Education and Society (IPES) series describes, synthesizes, and forecasts how large-scale assessments and quantitative data impact evidence-based policymaking worldwide. This volume pays particular attention to the Middle East and North African (MENA) region and surrounding countries. The chapters provide and explain policymaking examples from national educational systems and international organizations in the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Russia, Brazil and China, providing a forum for scholars and policymakers to identify how large-scale assessments and quantitative data can be used to inform policymaking at all levels of education, and how these data can be used to better understand specific country- and regional-level educational challenges.
Emphasizing that quantitative research evidence is often the most legitimized among national educational policymakers and international organizations influencing national educational policymaking due to its perceived accuracy and trustworthiness, authors discuss how this data is not always used to its full potential by policymakers or educators because of the predominant focus on student achievement and rankings systems. While student achievement data can offer great insight on educational systems, the unique country-level background data available through large international datasets provides opportunity for scholars and policymakers to develop greater insight into the social and cultural factors that influence education systems around the world.
Contents
Preface: Alexander W. Wiseman 1. The Rhythmic Application of Evidence-Based Policy in National Educational Systems Worldwide; Alexander W. Wiseman and Petrina M. Davidson
Part 1: Preparing For National Education Reform
2. Micro-Policy Discourse as Consultation in Girls' Education; Emily Anderson
3. The Quality of Higher Education in the Arab Region: Which Tools of Assessment to Use; Azza Akram Shafei
4. The Building of an Assessment Regime: A Policy Analysis of the Annual National Assessments in South Africa; Tshegofatso Thulare
5. The School Decentralization Process in Georgia and South Africa through the Lens of World Culture Theory: A Comparative Analysis; Nino Dzotsenidze
Part 2: Implementing National Education Reform
6. The Effects of Governance Reforms on School Supervision: Evidence from Six Developing and Emerging Economies; Mobarak Hossain
7. Beyond Large-Scale Achievement Testing - The 'Psychological Turn' in International Organizations' Work on Educational Assessment; Mike Zapp
8. Developing National Higher Education Indicators: Lessons and Opportunities from the UAE; Sajida H. Shroff and Daniel Kratochvil
Part 3: Evaluating National Education Reform
9. Learning from Successful Examples: From Local Testing to International Assessments; Mariam Orkodashvili
10. A Critical 'Positivist' Analysis of Tatweer Policy in Saudi Arabia; Tariq Elyas and Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
11. An Omani National Remedial Program in Response to TIMSS 2007 Results: Cognitive Knowledge Development Program for Students in Science, Mathematics and Concepts of Environmental Geography; Munira Al-Wahaibi and Asila Al-Maawali
12. One Size for All? - Policy Advice of the World Bank and the OECD on Quality Assurance and Evaluation of School Education in Russia, Brazil and China; Tuomas Takala, Johanna Kallo, Jaakko Kauko and Risto Rinne
