Despite claims that we now live in a post-truth society, it remains commonplace for policy makers to consult research evidence to increase the robustness of decision making. Few scholars of evidence-policy interfaces, however, have used legislatures as sites of study, despite the fact that they play a critical role in modern democracies. There is…

Since 1995 the UK higher education sector has been required to implement national disability related legislation. This paper reports on a study which explored the role that policies play in influencing how staff support disabled students. In particular the extent to which staff in HE behave in similar ways to those described as street level…

Realizing there is a global policy convergence that emphasizes the standardized key qualities of and expectations for "successful" school leaders, this article provides an in-depth analysis on the initiation of the "Professional Standards for Compulsory Schools Principals" (Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of…

The duty to monitor "the failure to uphold British Values" in the "Prevent" strategy, introduced in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, is itself an attack on British democracy. This article explains the contradictory nature of the "Prevent Duty." First, the current state of democracy in Britain is examined…

While it is generally acknowledged that being "historically informed" lies at the heart of critical accounts of education policy-making, the use of historically focused retrospective research methods within the field is rare. This paper makes the case for retrospective research at a time when some of the most significant episodes of…

In the Netherlands, physical/mechanical restraints in the care provided to people with intellectual disabilities are still in use, with the case of "Brandon" being a recent and illustrative example. The public debate that this case triggered raised questions concerning the policy proposal in the Care and Coercion Bill ("Wetsvoorstel…

This article discusses the representation and participation of disabled students in the development of higher education policy and provision within the UK, at both a national and institutional level. Findings are drawn from a doctoral study, which identified the importance of student participation in securing equality and inclusion. Power…

In the past 150 years, educational systems have expanded and become integrally linked with economic, political, and social status in modern nation-states. As the stakes for education have risen, so has the call for more and improved use of scientific evidence as a basis for educational policymaking. Evidence from averaged scores on international…

This reader is one of four parts of the Open University (in the United Kingdom) Course E333, "Policy-making in Education." The ten articles included focus on the patterns of race and gender inequalities in British education, and the methods used by central and local government and educational institutions to address those inequalities.…

Sex education policy frameworks in the United Kingdom serve to regulate young people's sexual practice and promote heterosexuality. The sexual practices and standards of one social class are privileged over those of others. (SK)

This paper addresses the implications for education and social action broadcasting of proposals for the expansion of cable television contained in two British Government reports: "A Report of the Inquiry into Cable Expansion and and Broadcasting Policy" (the Hunt Report) and a white paper, "The Development of Cable Systems and…

This booklet, one of 16 designed for use in an Open Universtiy course on the education of handicapped students in the United Kingdom, deals with the formation and implementation of relevant legislation and policy. The legislative foundations of the special education system in England and Wales, namely the Education Act 1944 and the Education…

This article considers the different ways that the United Kingdom's government, teachers, and academics think about inclusion. A working definition of inclusion is presented based on a system of values and indicators of inclusion for students with deafness, along with examples of practice. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

As a result of increasing mobility of students and knowledge, cross border education, especially in higher education, is receiving general attention in the Asia and Pacific region. The toolkit serves as a reference tool to assist local policymakers in the formulation of a regulatory framework for cross-border education that is growing rapidly in…