This paper explores how Norah Fry's concerns of 100 years ago have been relevant to the work of the Norah Fry Research Centre. In 1898, Norah Fry began to investigate the social conditions and educational needs of people with learning disabilities living in Bristol and Somerset. In reporting her findings to a Royal Commission in 1905, she set out…

This paper considers the history of access to higher education in England and reviews the evidence on the progress made in widening participation and ensuring "fair access" under the New Labour governments of 1997-2010 and, insofar as is possible, under the Coalition government that has been in office since 2010. While recognising that…

How has education evolved from exclusion to inclusion, from judgment to acceptance, and from disability to difference? This is the question that frames Barbara Boroson's article in the theme issue, "Differences, Not Disabilities." Boroson begins by taking a historical view of how schools have treated those who were perceived to be…

This paper employs postcolonial framework to discuss the contradictions of promoting western education in Islamic communities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Prior to colonization, Islamic education was an important socializing process that instilled strong Islamic identity in Islamic communities in SSA. European encounters in SSA and the…

Twenty-six years after the 1994 founding of The Kalsom Movement, an independent and voluntary student-led charity specializing in tackling education inequality in Malaysia, much has changed in the world. Yet despite the rise of societal and governmental awareness on the importance of education--especially primary education--and the advancements in…

This study explores gender parity on the basis of distinctive expansion stages in the higher education system of Taiwan. Gender parity is one of the key components used to determine equal opportunities for accessing higher education. Therefore, this study evaluated gender parity and explored the potential gaps at the undergraduate, master and…

Despite the existence of early childhood education (ECE) settings since the mid 19th century and a substantial increase in the availability and accessibility of services over the last four decades, ECE in Malta still struggles to find its voice. Its introduction and development has been marked by erratic progress. The colonial heritage, the Roman…

"Unescorted Guests" provides a richly detailed portrait of a fundamental change at one US institution: Yale University's 1969 transition from an all-men's to a coed college. This study disputes several dominant narratives about the 1970s youth and women's movements, and deepens our understanding of three core issues in higher education…

This "Equity Dispatch" newsletter provides educators, administrators, and community stakeholders with an overview of American Indian education, provisions for Indian Education embedded in Title VI of The Every Student Succeeds Act, and research-based strategies for effectively meeting the unique educational needs of Indigenous students…

In the early 1990s, the logic and policies of systemic reform launched a press to coordinate the pursuit of excellence and equity in U.S. public education, with each other and with classroom instruction. There was little in that policy moment to predict that these reforms would sustain, and much to predict otherwise. Yet, nearly three decades…

The idea that the New Zealand education system will cater to all students, regardless of ability, and support them in developing their full potential to the best of their abilities, is enshrined in the famous 1939 Beeby/Fraser statement. Equality of access policy discourse has shifted to emphasise equitable outcomes, focussed increasingly on…

This article explores the educational history of the United Arab Emirates, a young and vastly wealthy nation located in the Middle East. A nation for just over 40 years, its leaders have struggled with educating and supporting its native population and managing the massive infusion of immigrants created by the progressive job markets established…

Education is not a neutral process, it can be used to establish and maintain conformity or be part of a process of liberation and social change (Freire, 1979; hooks, 1994). The Irish State's failure to acknowledge this lack of neutrality has characterised the formal education system in Ireland since its inception. From the introduction of the…

Technical education contributes a major share to the overall education system and plays a vital role in the social and economic development of our nation. Since independence, the technical education system in our country has grown into a fairly large-sized system, offering opportunities for education and training in a wide variety of trades and…

Higher education is a means by which human capital is mostly developed and awareness is created in people to think of themselves as active citizens willing and able to have influence in public life, and with the critical capacity to weigh evidence before speaking and acting. The rationale behind the paper is to address the low access to higher…