John Furlong

Alis Oancea

This book explores the challenges of assessing quality in applied and practice-based research in education. It offers various views on quality in applied and practice-based research and proposes ways in which qualitycriteria may reflect more closely the diversity of applied research and its complex entanglements with practice and policy.

Continuing the Debate

Assessing Quality in Applied and Practice-based Research in Education

Robert Phillips

The last quarter of the twentieth century was a very important period in history of education. Beginning with the so-called 'Great Debate', the period witnessed intense public and political interest in educational issues, culminating in an almost unprecedented amount of education-related legislation, the most symbolic of which was the Education Reform Act of 1988. Some scholars have rightly claimed that the education system was 'transformed' during this period, pointing to major changes in the ways in which schools, further education colleges and universities were organised, managed and controlled. Others have claimed that these changes altered the power relationships which had underpinned the education system since 1944. Given the sheer scale and pace of the education-policy related reforms of this period, this edited collection brings together some of the leading scholars in education to reflect on the major legislative and structural changes in education over the past few decades. Published in the year of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Callaghan's Ruskin College speech in 1976, it provides a definitive contemporary history of education policy in the late twentieth century. The editors bring together some of the leading educationalists to reflect on the major legislative and structural changes in the field over the last twenty five years. The book will be of use to education students on undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as students and academics working in social policy.

Twenty Five Years of Politics, Policy and Practice

Education, Reform and the State

Marie Brennan

Marilyn Cochran-Smith

During the last 20 years, governments around the world have paid increasing attention to the recruitment, preparation, and retention of teachers. Teacher supply and teacher quality have become significant policy issues, taken up by policy-makers at the highest levels. This is because teachers are now seen by many governments as the ‘lynch-pin’ of educational, economic and social reform. This volume grew out of a recognition by the Editors of the growing significance of teacher education policy and a curiosity about international trends and differences. The book brings together nine papers from leading academics around the world: from the UK (England and Scotland), the USA, Australia, Singapore and Belgium, plus a joint paper comparing Namibia and the USA. Taken together, the papers reveal the complexities and contradictions of international trends. On the one hand, they demonstrate that there is indeed a common direction of travel along the lines encouraged by international bodies such as the OECD. At the same time however, the papers also reveal important differences among countries in terms of how they are addressing common aspirations as well as some apparent contradictions within the policies of individual nations. This book was based on the special issue of Teachers and Teaching.

International Perspectives

Policy and Politics in Teacher Education

Gary Mason

A riveting insider's account of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and an extraordinary story of leadership, love of country and the ability to dream big. When John Furlong and his family emigrated from Ireland in 1974, the customs officer greeted them with "Welcome to Canada. Make us better," an imperative that has defined Furlong's life ever since. A passionate athlete with a track record of community service, he was roped into acting as spokesperson for Vancouver's incipient Olympic bid movement back in 1996, and then spent the next fourteen years living and breathing the Olympics. Furlong and his organizing team, including some 25,000 volunteers, orchestrated a remarkable Winter Games. Patriot Hearts is the story of how they did it. Early on Furlong realized the Olympics weren't about highways and buildings and tourism, they were about people: the athletes, and everyday Canadians who wanted to see their country shine on the world stage. He defined a vision for the games that would capture the hearts and minds of Canadians, and held to it with unwavering determination. Working with Globe and Mail columnist Gary Mason, Furlong recounts the lead-up to the Games and describes how he handled seemingly insurmountable setbacks

Inside the Olympics That Changed a Country

Patriot Hearts

Keri Facer

Ruth Furlong

Rosamund Sutherland

What are young people really doing on computers at home? Computers feature heavily in the lives of today's young people, and this book sets out to question commonplace assumptions about the use of technology by children at home. Bringing together research from the perspective of psychology, sociology, education and media studies, the authors ask whether we are really witnessing the rise of a new 'digital generation'. Drawing upon the results of their in-depth research project, the authors filter and assess their findings accessibly, offering fascinating reading on: * how computers are used in the home * how parents and children negotiate access to and use of the computer * what role the computer plays in the day to day lives of families. This book makes use of illuminating case studies, and highlights key issues of concern around issues of equality and access in a wider social context. This truly interdisciplinary perspective will be instrumental in reshaping the understanding of teachers, ICT advisors, policy makers and all involved in ICT for children.

John Furlong

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