Introduction to the Special International Issue

To understand the role the media play in educational politics, it useful to consider the media's role in a participatory democracy. The concept of the news media as “thin” public sphere serves as a pragmatic theoretical lens through which to examine the possibility that the media might play a critical but limited role in participatory democracy. The focus of this special issue is not to enter the fray in the debate over media bias but instead to draw attention to the important role that the media play in educational politics and to make a case for research that is attentive to the intersection of educational politics and media coverage.     

The failure of Education for All as political strategy

Since 1990 the education development community has focused on a strategy titled: Education for All. This article argues that, as political strategy, it has been a failure. The article explains why and suggests ways to correct the problem.