It has been widely documented that accountability systems, including school inspections, bring with them unintended side effects. These unintended effects are often negative and have the potential to undo the intended positive effects. However the empirical evidence is limited. Through a European comparative study we have had the rare opportunity…

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an important cross-national study of 15-year-olds' academic knowledge and skills. Educationalists and public policymakers eagerly await the tri-annual results, with particular interest in whether their country has moved up or slid down the international rankings, as compared to earlier…

This paper seeks to contribute to recent comparative discussions about the shift of traditional referential points as a result of new global governance by the OECD through PISA. In doing so, the authors investigate whether the lower PISA rankings of the US have resulted in the shifting of its referential status in South Korea. For the purposes of…

This paper examines the roles of research in teacher education across the four nations of the United Kingdom. Both devolution and on-going reviews of teacher education are facilitating a greater degree of cross-national divergence. England is becoming a distinct outlier, in which the locus for teacher education is moving increasingly away from…

This article concentrates on the policy reforms of schools in England, Germany, France and Italy, from 1988 to 2009, with a focus on the introduction of market accountability. Pressing demands for organisational change in schools, shaped by the objectives of "efficiency" and competition, which were introduced in England in the 1980s,…

The article is a comparative analysis of the policy and practice of professional learning communities (PLCs) in primary schools in England and Finland. The concept of PLC has become a globally fashionable one and has been explicitly advocated in policy documents in both countries. Drawing from a database of qualitative semi-structured interviews…

Only since the 1990s has the impact of globalisation on education drawn scholarly attention, primarily due to the impact of international school achievement surveys. This study argues that the globalisation of education began much earlier, with the establishment of intergovernmental agencies, such as UNESCO and the OECD, and the adoption of…

Discusses British involvement in educational reconstruction in Germany after World War II and the influence of Lord Lindsay of Birker in setting up the Royal Commission. The Commission consisted of German representatives from institutions of higher education, trade unions, churches, and the land authorities. (KC)

Reviews the history of educational borrowing and exchange between England and Germany. Cites specific instances of adaptations which resulted. (JDH)

Viewing the Robbins Report from a European perspective, Neave states that it was unique among contemporary educational reforms. Argues that, by strengthening the private life of British academia, maintaining quality, and preventing deterioration of staff-student ratios, Robbins allowed for greater flexibility in Britain while higher education…

This paper reports on a case study of the London Education Authority of Barking and Dagenham's borrowing of Swiss educational practices, and the implementation and internalisation of those foreign practices in the teaching of mathematics in primary schools. The study employs analytical frameworks that might be used by policy makers or researchers…

This paper examines the ways in which the results of the OECD Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) have influenced educational discourse in Germany. It argues that the results caused shockwaves in the educational landscape and led to a re-evaluation of other international comparisons which had presented an unfavourable picture of…

Oxford University needs to redefine its objectives for undergraduate education and reorganize itself to implement changes. University reorganization must include new incentives for change, monitoring of performance, and rewards for success. (AM)

Examines the current dialog between academics in the United States and Britain, assessing the changes in mood and attitude within the academic communities over the past several decades. Discusses developments in both systems, emphasizing the current crisis in British higher education. (GEA)

Described on a comparative basis are the approaches to and the methods and effects of academic restructuring in the universities of the United Kingdom and West Germany. Selective steps have been taken in both countries to protect and strengthen science and technology, especially research in these areas. (Author/RM)