We examined the association of orphanhood and completion of compulsory school education among young people in South Africa. In South Africa, school attendance is compulsory through grade 9, which should be completed before age 16. However, family and social factors such as orphanhood and poverty can hinder educational attainment. Participants were…

Recent evidence using compulsory schooling laws as instruments for education suggests that education has a causal effect on mortality (Lleras-Muney, 2005). However, little is known about how exactly education affects health. This paper uses compulsory schooling laws to try to identify how education impacts health and to indirectly assess the merit…

This article outlines and discusses the fundamental parts of the current "Portuguese Assessment System" for both basic mandatory education (Grades 1-9) and secondary education (Grades 10-12). It provides a brief description of some of the most relevant current curriculum development trends such as: (1) the emphasis on vocational…

Elitism argues that the values and experiences of the political elite shape policy, while institutionalism contends that an individual's behaviour is constrained by institutional settings. This article shows that both perspectives work well overall, while offering persuasive arguments, but the former is dominated by the latter. This explains the…

The balanced development of compulsory education, with a focus on the goal of educational equality, is both a matter of policy orientation and a practical educational issue. At present, people are mostly concerned with the unbalanced state of development of compulsory education, its causes, and issues regarding its administration. Various modes of…

In the context of compulsory education for 5-6 year-old children, the question about reading acquisition is one of fundamental concerns for both pre-school teachers and parents. This article examines the methods of reading acquisition frequently applied in preschool, discusses the situation and teachers' view of reading acquisition in pre-school…

The title of this article comes from the editorial written for this journal by Olive Banks, Len Barton, Roger Dale, David Hargreaves, Roland Meighan, Ivan Reid and Graham Vulliamy (Banks et al. 1980, 4) that appeared in its first issue, and set out its remit. The seven scholars who wrote that editorial pledged to "publish high quality work of…

The widespread availability of digital learning resources in a variety of media formats offers the possibility to make a profound difference in education. This potential has not been fully realised for range of interrelated reasons. In this paper we study the key characteristics of learning resources that have proved effective in changing learning…

The current article deals with the issue of increased dropouts of deaf pupils from compulsory education (primary and junior high school) and tries to map out plausible reasons according to what principals and teachers for the deaf say, which might account for these dropouts. Official statistics are employed to demonstrate reduced graduation rates…

Initiated in September 1994, "New Basic Education" first underwent a five-year Exploratory Research phase from September 1994 to May 1999, which was followed by a second five-year Developmental Research phase from September 1999 to May 2004. Thus during the past ten years, "New Basic Education" has undergone a complete research…

This article has been especially written by the journal Guest Editors as an introduction to key issues in making international comparisons regarding inclusive policy and practice. The authors argue that there is a very real amplification of the methodological problems faced by researchers working in comparative education when they consider the…

The need for education for (as opposed to about) sustainability is urged from many sides. Initiatives in this area tend to focus on formal education. Governmental, supra-governmental and non-governmental bodies all expect much of this kind of education, which is to transform children--and through them society--in the direction of sustainability.…

In this paper, the author has attempted to analyze and assess the progress of education for all (EFA) in India from 1985/1986 to 2005/2006. A similar analysis by the same author on this subject, for the period 1950-1986, was published in this journal in 1990. During that period of 35 years the development of EFA was apparently impressive, but…

Almost one-third of all American public high school students, and one-half of African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, fail to graduate from high school with their class. In recent years, more states have been passing or introducing legislation to raise the compulsory school age. Today's globally competitive economy requires at least a…

Under the New Mexico Public School Code, the right of parents to home-school their children is recognized. "Home School" is defined as the operation by a parent, legal guardian, or other person having custody of a school-age person who instructs a home study program that provides a basic academic educational program, including but not…