Finland has repeatedly been presented as a "success story" of equality and education, promoter of human rights and included equality and human rights as part of national curricula. However, research has shown the slow progress of integrating topics of equality and human rights in teacher education despite hundreds of project-based…

'Mindfulness' is a term which holds increasing currency within educational research, policy and practice. However, there is substantial variation in its use, especially with respect to its historical roots in the Buddhist tradition. I develop a conceptual distinction between 'thin' mindfulness and 'thick' mindfulness, with attendant ontological,…

Effect size is the basis of much evidence-based education policymaking. In particular, it is assumed to measure the educational effectiveness of interventions. Policy is being driven by the influential work of John Hattie, the Education Endowment Foundation, and others, which is grounded in this assumption. This article demonstrates the assumption…

Recently, the new global policy framework for implementing education for sustainable development (ESD) -- "ESD for 2030" -- was launched officially. Drawing on Foucauldian theory, this paper explores biopolitical elements in "ESD for 2030." The paper contributes to previous research on ESD policy by employing a biopolitical…

The need to find ways of ameliorating a number of what seemed to be gross abuses of 'science', logic, and authority in relation to educational policy emerged as a priority whilst revisiting writings on early childhood and elementary education. In the current paper, it is argued that many of these abuses stem from the uncritical acceptance of…

The National Policy on Education (NPE) in Nigeria stipulates that every child should be taught in the language of its immediate environment in the first three years of elementary education. This paper examines the NPE as it affects elementary schools in Ogu-speaking communities in Southwestern Nigeria. Using the research instruments of interviews…

Pessimistic discourses about crises in youth and children's well-being, mental health and vulnerability permeate English educational policy and practice. These generate vague and slippery elisions of wellbeing and mental health, and the related rise of an ad hoc, confusing market of psycho-emotional interventions promoted by new types of…

Chronically low performing schools in the United States have required targeted support and interventions to increase student achievement. In recent years, the school turnaround model has emerged as a swift, dramatic, comprehensive approach to implementing interventions in the lowest performing schools (Calkins, Guenther, Belfiore, & Lash,…

This paper addresses the vexed educational policy aspects of area-based "interventions (ABIs) in neighbourhoods designated as "disadvantaged" in an Australian context. We find that the way in which the policy of ABIs is supposed to operate and impact education is highly problematic. What we present instead in this paper is a much…

This paper undertakes a critique of the gendered nature of leadership in modern universities in Kenya. The paper argues that the inclusive nature of African feminism makes it easier for both men and women to join in this discussion since African feminism demands a more holistic perspective that does not pit men against women but encourages them to…

This paper critiques learning-support policy for mathematics in Irish primary schools. The key policy question addressed is how equitable the development of the learning-support service has been in addressing low achievement in mathematics in designated schools compared to non-designated schools. The core argument developed is that there is a link…

The major priorities that should guide leadership education in preparing leaders for their work of leading schools in a democratic society are: (1) Teaching leaders to understand the inequities of society; (2) Teaching leaders to serve as agents for social transformation; and (3) Teaching leaders to help each and every student learn and succeed.…

The multiplicity of definitions and conceptions of self-regulation that typifies contemporary research on self-regulation in psychology and educational psychology is examined. This examination is followed by critical analyses of theory and research in educational psychology that reveal not only conceptual confusions, but misunderstandings of…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often exhibit moderate to severe broad academic deficits in multiple areas as compared to their normative peers (Lane, 2004); they engage in aggressive acts and receive less positive attention by peers and adults. As a result, they are more likely to drop out of school, stay unemployed, engage…

A materialist rhetoric in service learning is needed to teach students how to "discover" the arguments that already exist in the communities they wish to serve; "analyze" the effectiveness of those arguments; collaboratively "produce" viable alternatives with community partners; and "assess" the impact of…