Drawing on an analysis of education policies and qualitative research data, the impact of education reform on the roles of English primary headteachers and their Finnish counterparts is examined and compared. Global forces have resulted in similar policy trends in both countries but owing to contrasting cultural values and education traditions…

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…

Distinguishes between three traditions of case study in educational research. Discusses the changing nature of comparative education and the value and limitations of the modern case study, as advocated by Lawrence Stenhouse, in educational research. Describes a case study of secondary education in Papua New Guinea. (SB)

Unlike in England, no overt culture clash was found in Ontario, Canada, secondary schools between "school" music and "student's" music. However, in both countries the form and content of school music convey a dominant ideology. (Author/RM)

Reports on research combining quantitative data and qualitative case-studies to examine factors affecting standards in Papua New Guinea's provincial high schools. Concludes that school effects are relatively more important in developing than in developed nations and that only some school effectiveness literature can be generalized to the Third…