Educational equality in China: analysing educational policies for migrant children in Beijing

This paper focuses on the education of migrant children in Beijing. As of the late 1990s, the Chinese Government has developed several policies to address educational issues among migrant children. The present study analyses data from interviews with key education personnel in Beijing to explore the outcomes of the implementation of such migrant children’s education (MCE) policies and the reasons for variation from policy design. The data suggest that there is poorer equality in terms of education among migrant vs. local children than the government has reported. Migrant children are faced with numerous strict admission procedures for public schools. The Chinese Government has not prioritised educational equality, despite professing to do so. The capability and motivation of local institutions for policy implementation are less adequate than might be expected. Using Honig’s model of policy implementation, this research shows that the outcomes of the MCE policies are a product of interaction between policy design, participants and implementation context.     

Implementation and Incentive of Education Policies: Experience from the High School Admissions Quota Allocation Policy

Abstract

Improving administrative efficiency is the core problem in administrative governance. This case study of quota allocation policy implementation in City A reveals that a set of education policy implementation and incentive mechanisms revolving around responsibility contracts and target evaluations has already taken shape, to guarantee effective policy implementation. However, these highly efficient policy implementation and incentive methods were established on the foundation of quantified policy goals, while nonmeasurable, nonperformance-based targets such as the goal of educational equality suffer the problem of ineffective incentive. Therefore, in pursuing the goal of educational equality, it is necessary to explore more possibilities for implementation and incentive of education policies.     

美国联邦大学生资助政策的转变及其影响

美国联邦大学生资助政策是联邦高等教育政策的重要组成部分,学生资助政策扩大了高等教育入学机会,促进了高等教育的发展,提高了美国的国民素质和生产力。联邦学生资助政策在实践中不断进行适时地调整和变革,随着财政资助项目的变化,少数民族学生丧失了大学的信心吗？由于债务因素,改变了学生的学术计划吗？这些变化对本科教育质量意味着什么？本文试图探究美国联邦学生资助政策的转变对大学生入学和学习,以及教育质量的影响。     

中韩职业教育政策的若干比较研究

运用“扎根理论”对中韩两国职业教育政策的比较和分析表明，就政策文本而言，韩国形成了相对完备的职教法律体系，而中国职教立法尚未体系化，多数职教政策处于非法律化层面；就相关概念及类属而言，两国职教政策所解决问题的侧重点不同，体现了不同的教育理念与政策理念。基于不同政治经济体制、科技和文化传统，两国职教政策各有特色，可在比较基础上相互借鉴。     

Cosmopolitan nationalism in the cases of South Korea,Israel and the U.S

Abstract

In this essay we develop the concept of ‘cosmopolitan nationalism’, offering a working definition and suggesting ways sociologists of education might draw on it in their future work. We show how it is a useful analytical lens through which to examine contemporary policies and practices that navigate global processes (ranking systems, mobility of people, expectations for futures) but also take account of nationalistic tendencies, as well as local and national attempts to challenge persistent inequalities within education systems. By using policy examples from three countries (South Korea, Israel and the US), we illuminate how cosmopolitan nationalism is evident across various initiatives in these countries, and the varied implications this has for education systems in terms of equality, access and quality.     

韩国高校终身教育政策研究

近一时期,韩国政府意识到高校能成为优秀的终身教育机构,为此在2008年颁布了《终身学习中心大学》政策,通过每年不断更新与改善该政策,韩国政府逐渐扩大该政策执行的范围。探析从2008年到2013年韩国高校终身教育政策的改革动向,深入分析其政策的特点,从中得出相关的启示,对中国终身教育的发展具有现实意义。     

Examining massification policies and their consequences for equality in Chinese higher education: A cultural perspective

This study extends the theoretical perspectives in policy studies on the issue of educational equality by analyzing the influence of cultural values on policies and policy processes. The present paper first teases out the key cultural values regarding education and equality, and then explores how these values shape the institution and policy making in the Chinese context. The policies of expansion, reform in governance and finance, differentiation of provision, and their consequences on equality in Chinese higher education are examined through the lens of culture. The context of close family bonds and strong commitment to education in the Chinese society has bolstered the policies of cost-sharing, privatization and concentrating resources in selected universities. Confucian bureaucracy and hierarchy shaped the strong state and top-down policy process; collectivism and elitism coupled with utilitarianism legitimized the paramount goal of development and strengthened the hierarchy of the higher education system; meritocratic tradition mediated the public demands and state’s policies on provision, and buffered the debates about inequality. The idea of minben (people are essence of a nation) in Chinese tradition served as a counter force to balance the pursuit of development and equality.     

Shaping a gender equality policy in higher education: which human capabilities matter?

South African institutions still confront gendered inequalities, irrespective of transformative national policies, compounded by the absence of a national gender equality policy for higher education. We therefore explore the potential of the capabilities approach (CA) to inform policy formation and argue for the development of a policy for higher education institutions based on opportunities for valuable functionings as the informational basis for gender equality. Using one university as our case study, data from 38 interviews with female and male students were analysed as part of a longitudinal study on Gender, Empowerment, Agency and Higher Education. The data reveal which opportunities these women and men find important for their personal development and directly and indirectly for gender equality. We conclude by discussing the implications of the data for stimulating public dialogues towards formulating a capabilities-based gender equality policy, as well as reflecting on the broader contributions the CA brings to policy development.     

Facing multiculturalism’s challenges in Korean education and society

Multicultural policy in South Korea faces variants of challenges endemic to multiculturalism. These challenges are “dilemmas of difference,” “variable terms of inclusion,” and “legitimacy.” In Korea, these challenges arise in a setting in which ethnic diversity is of relatively recent origin, an ideology of ethnic homogeneity is prevalent, and official multicultural policy is limited in its reach to those who are designated as “multicultural families,” that is families in which one spouse is Korean and the other an immigrant, usually the wife, and their offspring. The exclusion of migrant workers and their families from Korea’s multicultural framework poses a core contradiction in Korean multicultural policies. This contradiction must be resolved if multiculturalism in education and other spheres is to promote equality and provide a foundation for national integration on terms that are equitable to the diverse constituents of Korean society. Inevitably, this will require a redefinition of what it means to “be Korean.” Even if multicultural policies fall short in their immediate effects on those toward whom they are directed, multiculturalism represents a significant shift in the discourse of Korean identity and will be terrain on which the status of diverse groups in Korea will be contested.     

Framing education policies and transitions of Roma students in Europe

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to identify the contexts and conditions that allow for successful education transitions and opportunities for the Roma minority in Europe. Thus far, transnational and national policies have failed to ensure Roma inclusion and education equality, even though some progress is visible. Using a combination of policy analysis and interviews with NGO and European Union actors, University academics and Roma students, the article examines the key contexts that frame education policies and create the necessary conditions for education transitions. It identifies the problems and challenges within the contemporary EU education policy frameworks and highlights the tensions between political rhetoric and policy commitments that are visible at national, transnational, and local levels. In addition, through a focus on individual student experiences, the article captures the lived reality of Roma students who have managed their education transitions with success.     

少数民族教育平等问题及政府的教育政策选择

国家作为教育决策的主体,应该以公平性原则作为教育政策选择的出发点和落脚点。要合理安排教育资源分配优先权,将民族地区义务教育的发展作为资源优先投入的重点之一;以"差别但平等"原则进一步拓宽少数民族在义务教育后的入学机会;以建立全民终身教育体系作为实现民族教育平等的最终目标,并依靠完善的政策机制逐步实现教育公平目标。     

个体平等,抑或群体平等——少数民族高等教育招生政策理论探究

由于少数民族高等教育招生政策是基于群体身份资格的限定来实施的,被认为是对个体平等的颠覆,目前少数民族高等教育招生政策面临的最大挑战是来自于教育平等的争论。所以,本文立足于中国少数民族教育招生政策,试图从学业成就归因、高等教育功能等多维度对中国少数民族高等教育招生政策进行分析,力图通过明晰少数民族高等教育招生政策所蕴含的平等涵义,明确和拓展对教育平等的理解,从而利于实践中教育平等的实现。     

社会性别视角下的韩国中小学教育研究

韩国性别平等教育已开展多年,他们在禁止教育中的性别歧视与促进性别平等教育方面都取得了一定的成果。尽管社会性别视角下的韩国中小学教育仍存在明显的性别不平等,但他们为推进学校性别平等教育所采取的一些改革措施能够对我国学校教育改革提供借鉴与启示。     

Attention to menstrual hygiene management in schools: An analysis of education policy documents in low- and middle-income countries

Recent decades have seen a push for gender parity in education in low resource countries. Attention is shifting to how school environments hinder the achievement of gender equality. One effort, primarily led by the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, includes a focus on the needs of menstruating girls. This policy review aims to understand how the education sector is addressing menstruation management. We conducted an analysis of select education policy documents in 21 countries, including a frequency count and narrative analysis of relevant keywords. Findings suggest that existing national education policies inadequately provide for sufficient water and sanitation facilities or other menstruation-related improvements needed in schools. More recently developed WASH in schools policies present examples of potential approaches for education stakeholders to better address girls’ menstrual needs in school through policy and program responses.     

从教育公平的视角看瑞典第三级教育大众化政策

本文从历史的视角回顾了20世纪70年代瑞典高等教育大众化初期第三级教育体系建立的情况,并从教育公平的角度总结了瑞典大众化政策的典型方面。通过对瑞典第三级教育大众化政策的历史、措施、经验与问题的考察,为我国的高等教育大众化进程提供政策上的参考和借鉴。     

Social exclusion,and educational opportunity: the case of British education policies within a European Union context1

This paper first examines the New Labour government's redefinition of equality of opportunity in Britain, mainly with regard to education and the ways in which it mediates ‘opportunity’. In doing so, it also draws on wider social policy issues, such as the use of education policies to combat social exclusion. Second, the paper reviews European Union policies and selected documents that address questions of social inclusion, social cohesion and the role of education in achieving those policy goals. The main argument is that both New Labour policies in Britain and the examined EU documents promote rather minimal understandings of the term ‘equality of opportunity’, while, education, in both cases, is given an enormous burden to carry in balancing increasingly liberalised market‐driven economies, with the requirements of a socially just society.     

试论新中国民族教育政策制定的理论依据和现实依据

民族教育政策与其他公共政策一样，并不是凭空产生的，而是有其理论依据和现实依据。从理论这个层面来看。我国民族教育政策的制定深受教育平等理论、民族平等理论、积极差别待遇与补偿理论的影响。从现实条件这个方面来看，我国制定民族教育政策主要依据是我国的国家制度与性质，我国的民族宗教状况，党和国家当前面临的民族主要工作任务，民族区域自治制度的实施，民族地区的现实需求等方面。     

Subtle discourses on equality in the Finnish curricula of upper secondary education: reflections of the imagined society

Assurance of citizens’ social rights and minimization of social differences have been central tenets that have framed the educational policy of Finland and the other Nordic welfare states. Equality has been on the official agenda in educational politics and policies since the comprehensive school reforms of the 1960s and 1970s. However, the conceptualization of equality has fluctuated, reflecting the political climate in which the policy statements have been created. In this article, we analyse Finnish curricular documents concerning upper secondary education from the 1970s to the 2010s in order to find out how the aims of educational equality are presented. Drawing on different conceptualizations of equality and social justice, as well as feminist theorizations of intersectionality, we scrutinize how gendered, classed and ethnised patterns are emphasized, challenged or muted in documents. Through the longitudinal data of this study it is possible to analyse the growing impact of this neo-liberal educational restructuring into Finland, which has a reputation for equal education and excellent records in the Programme for International Student Assessment tests. Hence, we ask how the Finnish society as an imagined community is reflected in the documents of different decades.     

Policy efforts to increase women faculty in Korea: reactions and changes at universities

Since 2001, the issue of the low ratio of women faculty in universities has been prominent in Korea because of its negative impact on female students and gender equality at the university level that has affected human resource development and utilization at the national level. To address this issue, the Korean government developed and executed an education policy, the Policy on Women Faculty Increase (PWFI) from 2004 to 2006. This paper investigated reactions to the PWFI and changes made as a result of the policy in the conservative Korean higher education context. We found that although the PWFI has particularly contributed to increasing the representativeness of women faculty in areas in which women faculty used to be rare, overall the PWFI has not made significant improvements in most participating universities due to the lack of internal motives and drivers and effective systems to support the policy. Recommendations for improvements in the policy are offered.     

墨西哥教育平等:现状、对策与启示

墨西哥教育不平等通过其教育贫富差距、教育地区差距、教育性别差异彰显出来。为此,墨西哥政府通过政策规约、法律保障、措施落实以实现人民对教育平等的诉求。本研究通过把脉墨西哥教育平等背景、现状、对策,透视发展中国家新自由主义政策与教育不平等、教育现代化与教育平等的两难困境,揭示发展中国家教育平等、教育公平到教育质量之发展理路。