The current climate of travel bans, violence and conflict, and reconciliation and accountability in this country and across the globe make the three books discussed here timely and relevant, as they each point out early in their introductions. Individually and collectively, these volumes provide a fascinating way to view the affordances of…

In education, contemporary discussions of standards and standardisation often appear incidentally, as part of the critique of particular standardisation projects, such as national or international assessments and comparisons. This review essay focuses not on particular standards but more broadly on how standards develop, how they participate in…

I was interested in reviewing Susan Cain's (2013) "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" for two reasons. First, as an introvert I wanted to learn more about myself. Second, I wanted to explore Cain and others' criticism that group activities in the workplace and in education are unfair to introverts. This…

The author reviews a book entitled "Leadership for quality and accountability in education" written by Mark Brundrett and Christopher Rhodes. In the book, Mark Brundrett and Christopher Rhodes explain, "the role of leadership and its direct relationship with quality and accountability in enhancing learning outcomes". The book's…

This article presents a review of four chapters in "Part I, Section A: Making Curriculum" of "The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum and Instruction" (F. M. Connelly, M. F. He, J. I. Phillion, Eds.; Sage Publications, 2008). These chapters ["Curriculum Policy and the Politics of What Should Be Learned in Schools" (Benjamin…

This article presents a review of three chapters in "Part I, Section B: Managing Curriculum" of "The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum and Instruction" (F. M. Connelly, M. F. He, J. I. Phillion, Eds.; Sage Publications, 2008). The author finds that these chapters ["Structuring Curriculum: Technical, Normative, and Political Considerations" (Kevin G.…

This article presents a review of three chapters in "Part III, Section F: Inquiring into Curriculum" of "The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum and Instruction" (F. M. Connelly, M. F. He, J. I. Phillion, Eds.; Sage Publications, 2008). These chapters ["Reenvisioning the Progressive Tradition in Curriculum" (David T. Hansen,…

This review essay describes in detail two recent publications: "Formative Assessment: Improving Learning in Secondary Classrooms" (Centre for Educational Research and Innovation [CERI], 2005, Paris, OECD) and "Towards Coherence Between Classroom Assessment and Accountability" ("The 103rd Yearbook of the National Society…