We are delighted to welcome you to the International Conference on Education and New Developments 2013, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 1 to 3 of June. Education, in a global sense, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the human being, in the way one thinks, feels and acts. One of the…

This paper uses pupil responses to the PISA study in 2000 for all EU countries. Using indicators of the pupil intakes to schools and their outcomes it computes segregation indices for 15 countries, and then tries to explain the resulting patterns in terms of the characteristics of national school systems. Segregation by sex in each country is…

Both Kerala and Finland have made notable achievements in the realm of literacy: Kerala has one of the highest rates in the developing world and Finland ranks first in literacy among developed countries. Both also share a cultural history of granting women a high status in their respective societies. Using Kerala and Finland as examples, this…

Examines the effects of globalization on Finland and changes in educational policy in the context of the European Union. Identifies a radical policy shift involving such concepts as marketization and parental choice. Suggests that the change is more profound in Finland than elsewhere. (SK)

Finland's efforts to develop parity between university and nonuniversity higher education sectors are evident in its creation of 22 experimental "ammattikorkeakoulu" (AMKs). These "polytechnics" are gaining increasing centrality in European higher education systems, but have not increased accessibility for women and lower…

Educational reform in Finland shifted from 1960s welfare state ideology, which viewed education as an instrument of social justice and equal opportunity, to the 1980s neoliberal ideology of competition and individualism, to the economic depression of the early 1990s, which resulted in a new definition of educational equality. (Contains 20…

In Finland, the transition from an agricultural to a service economy was unusually late and rapid. Finns still show high respect for work and formal education. Although Finland has a well-developed educational system and high levels of educational participation, unequal educational opportunities remain and are increasing. Future educational policy…

The attitudes of 563 Finnish parents toward ongoing educational reforms and their satisfaction with the functioning of comprehensive schools were studied. Their appraisals of the schools were fairly positive. Middle-class parents were more likely to endorse selectiveness in the schools; working-class parents were more likely to endorse…

The high and rising higher education enrollment rate for women in most Western nations is discussed, and problems in educational equity relating to uneven enrollment rates in various disciplines are noted. (MSE)

Suggests a typology of ethnic-education programs and examines the Swedish-speaking community in Finland as an example of an effort to control a separate educational program and maintain the separate ethnic identity of a declining cultural, economic, and social elite. (DB)

This report analyzes contradictions in policies of equal educational opportunities, using Finland and Britain as examples. The analysis focuses on the relation of intended to actual policy and considers policies within the context of 1980s curriculum development. During that period, Finland gradually decentralized educational decision making, and…

Background: Education fundamentally shapes an individual's life chances and social status. Duration and level of education are associated with people's incomes, socio-economic status, living standard, lifestyle and the respect and esteem they enjoy. Failure to fulfil educational potential may have long-term consequences for later occupational and…

Research results are collated and presented concerning the change in Finland from a binary system of education to a more unitary system, the "comprehensive school," involving a single primary school (grades one through nine) and a choice between vocational and senior secondary school (grades ten through twelve). The new system, being…

At the beginning of 1973 there were slightly more than 200,000 Finnish citizens residing abroad. The great majority of these emigres (over 90 percent) have moved to Sweden, including 90,000 school age children. Trying to resolve difficulties these children face, Finnish authorities, with their Swedish counterparts, have developed 3 goals: (1) to…

When considering educational improvement, there are several enormous challenges external to schools that must be faced, including rapid changes in economics and technology, the vast growth of knowledge, and global ecological problems. This article addresses weaknesses and opportunities for change in Finnish primary schools, analyzing the current…