The introduction of per-capita education financing in former USSR countries

Janashia, Simon Teachers College, Columbia University 2016 해외박사(DDOD)

It has been well documented in comparative education research that former USSR countries have tailored educational reforms in the post-independence era after reforms that were tried elsewhere. In particular, several states of the Baltic, Caucasus, and Central Asian regions have implemented general education funding models based on per-capita calculations. Various local and global actors participated in the borrowing process. In this dissertation, I try to discern why the per-capita funding model of education resonated with these actors. I address this research question through two approaches. First, the education funding policy reforms in Georgia and Latvia are analyzed comparatively through data that were generated by the study of the policy documents and media. The policy actors, including policy-makers, technical experts, school directors, members of the civil society, and international organizations, were also interviewed. Second, the factors that influenced the policy process in Georgia and Latvia were further investigated on a wider scale. Utilizing Qualitative Comparative Analysis, 15 former USSR countries were examined on variables of education efficiency, corruption, economic capacity, and orientation toward the market-driven policies. Based on this analysis, I demonstrate in this dissertation that the policy borrowing in education is a process of complex interactions between various actors. The per-capita funding model resonated differently with diverse actors in Georgia and Latvia, which faced both shared and unique policy environments. At the time the new funding model was introduced, Georgia was plagued with corruption and relatively low capacity in their public governance. In Latvia, the policy was introduced during a major economic crisis. The process of borrowing was highly selective, and local actors in both countries actively transformed the funding model. One common approach to establish legitimacy of the new policy was to reference the new model to the external societies, such as the West, or to ascribe the policy agenda to the pressures originating from the international donors. The Soviet Union was also constructed as a negative counter-reference society that was considered worth departing from. After the implementation of the funding models, special efforts were made to indigenize and de-territorialize the elements of the imported global reform package.

Global education politics and policy: Discourses, coalitions, and coconstruction among globally committed national, state, and district actors

Tichnor-Wagner, Ariel The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2016 해외박사(DDOD)

Our world today is more interconnected than ever before due to unprecedented levels of economic, political, social, and cultural globalization. There is growing recognition among policymakers, practitioners, and NGOs that schools must prepare students to live in a global society. Global education is one way of teaching that aims to prepare students with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills needed for citizenship in a globalized world. This three-article dissertation examines the politics and policies of global education in the United States on national, state, and local levels. The first article examines dominant discourses that national policy entrepreneurs have evoked when advocating for global education. A content analysis of documents disseminated by advocacy groups, foundations, government institutions, NGOs, and professional educator organizations promoting global education found that neoliberal and nationalist discourses were used most frequently overall. Yet neoliberal and nationalist discourses were also "stacked" alongside other discourses and not used by multiple NGOs. The second article uses the advocacy coalition framework to understand the evolution of state global education policy in one critical case: North Carolina. Analysis of interviews with 26 key informants and over 140 policy documents revealed that a broad coalition of governmental and non-governmental actors representing education, policymaking, and business sectors coalesced around four major policy objectives: systemic integration of global content and perspectives, language programs, international partnerships, and teacher training focused on global competency development. These beliefs translated into state policy incrementally passed between 2000 and 2015. Strategies that coalition members identified as catalyzing policy action included incremental will-building, setting a vision and following through, and creating hubs. The third article uses policy co-construction theory to explore how two globally committed school districts in North Carolina adapted state global education initiatives. Findings from this comparative case study demonstrate district-level actors' agency in adapting state global education initiatives based upon local context and multi-directional influences. Overall, these three studies illuminate the beliefs, strategies, structures, and contexts that have shaped the adoption and implementation of global education policies on a national, state, and local scale and hold implications for policymakers and practitioners seeking to instill global competencies in K-12 students.

(The) impact of free compulsory universal basic education policy on primary education in Ghana

Peprah Eunice 영남대학교 박정희새마을대학원 2018 국내석사

Education is regarded globally to be very vital for human development and the development of a nation which made Ghana subscribe to EFA and SDGs which was international policies introduced by the United Nation. The government of Ghana shared the same vision with the UN to ensure basic education for all by 2015. The key policy questions addressed in this paper is to assess what extent has the FCUBE policy contributed to access and participation in primary education? This paper examines the impact of this policy on primary education using six major qualitative and quantitative measures. These are primary school enrolment, completion rate and gender parity index as quantitative measures and the trained pupil teachers, pupil-teacher ratio and examination results as qualitative measures. The findings of the study provides analysis of the effects of FCUBE program on primary education in Ghana by examining the trends of enrollment five years before and twenty years after implementation of the FCUBE policy that is from 1990 to 2015. From the findings, the quantitative measures which are enrolment rate, completion rate and girl child education have been increasing over the years. However, the increase in the quantitative measures by the FCUBE could not ensure the attainment of this second goal in 2015 of the MDGs in Ghana. The result of the analysis brings to light the following recommendations which I believe will accelerate improvement in the quality and quantity of basic education in Ghana. There should be proper management of the finance provided by the government through the capitation grants and FCUBE. 이 연구는 1990년부터 2015년까지의 FCUBE 정책을 실행한 결과 5년 전의 등록률과 20년 이후의 등록률 경향을 검토함으로써, 가나 초등교육에 대한 FCUBE 프로그램의 효과를 분석하고자 하였다. 이 연구 결과에서 볼 때 입학률, 졸업률, 여학생 자녀교육 등이 수년 동안에 걸쳐 증가하고 있다는 양적지표를 발견할 수 있었다. 그러나 FCUBE에 의한 양적지표상의 증가가 2015년 가나정부가 설정했던 두 번째의 목표인 MDGs의 측면에서 목표를 달성했다고 할 수는 없다. 결론적으로, 분석결과에서 다음의 몇 가지 제언을 할 수 있다. 다시 말해, 가나에서 기본교육의 질과 양의 측면에서 상당한 향상이 이루어지고 있다는 사실이다. 정부가 제공하는 인두세 보조금과 FCUBE 형태를 통해 재정에 대한 적절한 관리가 있어야 한다. 또한, 기본학교에 대한 정부지출을 향상시킬 수 있는 인두세 보조금을 증가시킬 수 있어야 한다. 가나에서 교사효율성의 최적화를 보장할 수 있기 위해 지속적 교사연수의 필요성이 제기된다. 특히 교수학습 자료의 축적과 제공의 측면에서 교사들에게 인센티브와 동기부여를 통한 교사발전에 많은 노력을 경주해야 한다. 그리고 학생들을 위한 교육적 자원들을 증대시킬 필요가 있다. 아울러 농촌지역에서 교육의 질을 보장할 수 있도록 하기 위해 학생들을 위한 충분한 학습자료를 제공할 필요가 있다.

Critical Analysis of Educational Reforms in Pakistan

Muhammad Mubashir Mukhtar 강원대학교 대학원 2021 국내석사

Around the world, education is recognized as the primary input to the ethical, civilizing and socio-economic growth of any country. A viable education system enables the nation to achieve its national goals. Pakistan, as a developing country, has experienced critical problems in the education sector since its creation. Moreover, the education system has failed to deliver according to the hopes of the nation. Almost every government in Pakistan has been consistently trying to improve enrollment and literacy rate, which is reflected in all Educational Policies. Since independence, in 1947, numerous researches have been carried on different aspects of Educational Policies. The primary purpose of the study is evaluating all education policies and explore the reasons for the failure of education policies in achieving their targets. This study also presents the current status of education in terms of enrollment and literacy rate and suggest some measures regarding the improvement of education. All the education policies of Pakistan from 1947 – 2009, are not completely obtained their targets. It is concluded that our education system is influenced by a number of factors that cause this downfall. Some of them are more prominent such as low budget allocation for the education sector, unclear goals, political instability and interference, rapid growth in population, poverty and unemployment, gender disparity, issue of medium of instruction and lack of continuity in policies. On the basis of the critical review of available literature, the study presents solutions such as decentralization and three language formula to the existing problems of the education system which will be helpful for future educational policies of Pakistan. 1947년 독립 이후 파키스탄 정부는 교육 발전을 위해 지속적인 정책을 수립해왔다. 그러나 오늘날까지도 파키스탄은 효과적으로 목표를 달성하지 못하고 있다. 교육은 모든 국가가 장기적으로 성장하기 위하여 가장 중요하게 생각하는 영역인데, 여전히 낙후된 파키스탄의 교육 현실은 국가의 미래 전망을 불투명하게 한다. 이 연구에서는 과거 정부로부터 수립된 파키스탄의 교육 정책을 시기적으로 구분하고, 각 시기별로 주안점을 두었던 교육 정책 목표와 추진 성과, 그리고 실패의 원인을 규명하였다. 그 결과 교육 부문에 책정된 낮은 정책 예산, 인구의 급격한 증가, 빈곤, 성 불평등, 복수 언어 문제, 그리고 무엇보다 정부의 미약한 교육 정책 실현 의지와 정책의 연속성 부족이 실패의 원인으로 분석되었다. 파키스탄 교육 정책의 고질적 실패를 극복하기 위한 대안으로 교육 정책의 분권화와 언어 정책을 제안하였다. 교육 정책의 분권화는 교육 부문의 개혁에서 중앙 통제 시스템을 해체하고 지역 수준에서 생산성과 제도적 주권을 보장하기 위한 거버넌스 구조를 구축하는 것이다. 언어 정책은 3개의 공식 언어 체제를 교육에 적용하는 대안이다. 3 개 언어 공식에 따르면 영어와 우르두어는 1급부터 마스터까지 필수 과목으로 함께 가야하며, 현지 언어는 초등 및 중등 수준에서 필수로 지정하는 방안이다. 언어 정책을 명확히 하는 것은 어떤 언어를 사용할 것인가가 유발하는 교육적 낭비를 종식시키고 교육은 물론, 나아가 학문 영역에까지 국가 발전에 기여할 수 있는 계기가 될 수 있다.

Borrowing from Elsewhere: From Cross-national Attraction to Internalization of the BTEP(Botswana Technical Education Program) in Botswana : 외부로부터의 정책 차용: 보츠와나 기술교육프로그램의 정책 차용 과정을 중심으로

공병규 서울대학교 대학원 2015 국내석사

보츠와나에서는 사회, 정치, 경제적인 상황이 변화함에 따라 교육 정책 방향이 기존의 일반교육중심에서 직업기술교육(TVET)중심으로 전환되었다. 보츠와나 정부는 1990년대에 새로운 교육 정책 방향과 전략을 제시하면서 직업기술교육(TVET)을 적극 장려하기 시작하였다. 이러한 노력의 결실로서 2000년대 초 보츠와나 기술교육과정(이하, BTEP)이 도입되기에 이른다. BTEP은 학교 기관 중심의 직업기술교육 프로그램으로서 스코틀랜드 자격 기구(SQA)와의 양자협약을 통해 전수 받은 것이었다. BTEP의 도입 사례는 비교교육학의 교육정책차용 연구의 관점에서 볼 때 상당한 의미를 가진다. 비교교육학에서는 그간 세계화로 인해 교육정책차용 현상이 한층 더 복잡한 양상을 띠게 되면서, 보다 다양한 정책 차용의 사례를 발굴 할 필요성이 꾸준히 제기되었다. 보츠와나의 BTEP은 스코틀랜드의 SQA에서 차용된 프로그램으로서 국경을 넘는 교육정책차용의 구체적인 과정과 미시 작동원리를 이해하는데 기여할 만한 사례로 평가된다. 또한, BTEP은 보츠와나 정부가 시대적 전환기를 맞이하여 내놓은 하나의 교육적 정책 대안이다. 그러므로, 이 사례를 통해 전환기적 국면에서 국가가 어떠한 동기로 해외의 교육정책 사례를 차용해 오는지에 대해서도 면밀하게 관찰해 볼 수 있다. 이 연구는 보츠와나 BTEP의 도입 과정을 교육정책차용 연구의 개념과 분석 틀로 접근한다. 보다 상세한 정책차용의 과정을 들여다보기 위해 Phillips & Ochs(2004)가 제시한 ‘정책 차용 4단계‘를 주된 분석틀로 사용한다. 이 분석틀에 따르면 BTEP의 도입 과정은 1) 국가 간 정책적 유인요소 발생, 2) 정책 결정, 3) 실행, 그리고 4) 내재화의 4단계로 세분화 된다. 각 단계마다 영향을 끼치는 인물 및 기관과 이들의 동기를 파악하면서 이 연구는 BTEP 정책 차용 과정의 구체적인 실제에 접근해간다. 이 연구의 분석 결과는 보츠와나의 직업기술교육 정책 방향에 일정한 시사점을 던져준다. BTEP의 정책차용 사례는 보츠와나 정부가 직업기술교육 정책 개혁을 추진하면서 외국의 경험에 크게 의존했다는 점을 보여준다. 이는 일견 보츠와나가 필요한 정책적 지식을 생산하고 관리하는 역량이 부족했기 때문이라고 할 수 있다. 보츠와나 정부는 이러한 역량 부족으로 인해 정책 차용 과정에서 정책적 맥락과 실용적인 요인을 충분히 고려하지 못한 것으로 나타났다. 그러므로 보다 독립적인 정책 개발을 위해서는 보츠와나 정부가 지식 관리 역량을 보다 강화해야 할 것으로 보인다. 또한 이번 연구는 교육정책차용 연구에도 일정한 시사점을 주고 있다. 이 연구의 결과는 정책차용 현상이 이전보다 더 복잡해지고 있다는 점을 분명히 드러낸다. 우선, 기존에 세워두었던 ‘빌리는 자’와 ‘빌려주는 자’의 경계가 갈수록 모호해지고 있다. ‘빌리는 자’는 단순히 빌리는 위치에 머무는 것이 아니라 스스로 적극적으로 ‘빌려주는 자’의 위치에 오르기 위해 다양한 나름의 전략을 구사한다. 한편, ‘빌리기’와 ‘빌려주기’라는 정책차용의 개념이 ‘사기’와 ‘팔기’의 시장경제 개념으로 전환되면서 그 복잡성이 증대하고 있기도 하다. 이는 정책 입안자들이 국제적으로 널리 인정받는 교육 시스템을 하나의 시장성 있는 ‘상품’으로 생각하는 사례도 있다는 사실을 말해주고 있다. As its social, political, and economic situation changed, the educational policy focus of Botswana has shifted from general education to Technical Vocational Education and Training(TVET). The government of Botswana put a great deal of effort into promoting its TVET system during the 1990s by suggesting basic educational policy direction and relevant strategies. This endeavor came to fruition with the Botswana Technical Education Program(BTEP) introduced into technical colleges in Botswana in the early 2000s. The BTEP was the institution-based TVET program transferred from the Scottish Qualification Authority(SQA) based on a bilateral contract. The BTEP case is notable in terms of studies on educational policy borrowing within the field of comparative education. In comparative education, there has been a growing demand to explore various policy borrowing cases, as the complexity of the phenomenon has increased with globalization. The BTEP, as a borrowed program from the SQA, is expected to facilitate understanding of the micro-mechanism and process of cross-national education policy borrowing. Also, it provides more insight into the motivation to borrow a foreign education system in the face of a transitional moment, because it is a representative case of transitional policy measure organized by the Botswana government. This research investigates the process of the BTEP introduction from the SQA into Botswana with the conceptual and analytical framework of studies on educational policy borrowing. The four-stages of policy borrowing suggested by Phillips and Ochs(2004) is adopted as a main analytical tool. According to the framework, the BTEP case is described as a policy borrowing process that includes 1) cross-national attraction, 2) decision-making, 3) implementation, and 4) internalization. By identifying the actors and motivations in each of the stages, this study gets close to the full circle of the policy borrowing process of the BTEP. The findings of the analysis offer an insight into the future direction of the TVET policy in Botswana. The policy borrowing process of the BTEP proves that the Botswana government was heavily dependent on foreign experiences in reforming its TVET system. This is in part because it did not have the capacity to produce and manage the required knowledge. This weakness triggered a more or less inattentive policy borrowing practice that did not heed the contextual and practical issues. Hence, the Botswana government needs to raise knowledge management capacity for its independent policy development. In addition, this research provides implications for the revision of the conceptual and analytical frameworks of educational policy borrowing studies. The findings indicate that recent policy borrowing practice is getting more complicated than before. Primarily, it is due to a growing ambiguity between borrowers and lenders as borrowers also have their own strategy to lend policies to others. Also, the concept of borrowing and lending is transformed into the market concept of buying and selling. That means that policy-makers recognize internationally renowned systems as marketable goods.

Role of donors in shaping education policy of Nepal : a case study of school sector reform plan

Pokharel, Ananda Raj Graduate School of International Studies, Korea Un 2011 국내석사

Current trend of international development with a focus on universal goals for educational development and the mechanisms of ‘aid effectiveness’ have raised questions regarding priorities of national goals versus international, and the effectiveness of aid effectiveness regime. The point of this research is that the unanimity in development interventions can limit the capacity of national actors and governments to independently plan for their national priorities. Study on School Sector Reform Plan (SSRP) comparing education agendas of different actors and the processes agenda setting reveals that the shared agendas of donors were highly represented in policy choices and funding allocation. The highly emphasized policy agendas of national actors like ‘free education’, ‘compulsory education’, ‘technical and vocational education’ were either neglected or given low funding. On the other hand, identification of newer issues and rapid shift of the importance from ‘restructuring’, ‘integrating’ and ‘relevancy’ of education to ‘global commitment’, ‘consolidation and expansion of basic education’ and ‘quality and relevance’ issues shows that outside actors were stronger during policy process. Moreover, universal goals for school education have provided ground for donors to actually reduce their burden of education aid. Analysis of policy parameters used in newspaper media shows that public discourses on education policy have emphasized donor’s agenda. Furthermore, SSRP have been criticized as being highly donor driven; followed top-down structural reform; and that it didn’t do enough consultations with stakeholders. The program is facing severe criticism from many stakeholders during implementation process. Therefore, the international development regime has to devise actions for ensuring extra care during policy making process to increase ownership of the policy process and policy output.

Emotional Wellness in NM Early Childhood Educators: A Critical Constructivist Examination of Neoliberalism in Education Policy and the Influence of Neoliberal Policy on Educator Wellness

Hunter, Misty L ProQuest Dissertations & Theses New Mexico State U 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

This dissertation examines neoliberalist policy in public school education in order to understand the influence of this neoliberalist policy on educator wellness in New Mexico early educators. Establishing the neoliberal influence in public education, the presidencies of Eisenhower, Johnson, Carter, G.H.W. Bush, G.W. Bush, and Obama, as related to education policy and influences, presents the idea of education for profit through high stakes testing and scripted curriculums (Ali, 2019; Burke, et al., 2020; Howell et al., 2017; Leistyna, 2010; Mazzoni, 1977; Vaughn et al.; Wooley et al., 1999; Yardley, 2000). This dissertation establishes connections between neoliberal federal policy and widespread unrest among American educators (Adams et al., 2018; Macrine et al., 2010; Nieto, 2013). National exit attrition rates as well as rates of enrollment in teacher preparatory programs examined herein connect to widespread professional dissatisfaction among public educators (Boe et al., 2008; Engledowl, et al., 2020; Nieto, 2013). Subjective Well Being (SWB) of New Mexico early educators as influenced by neoliberalist public education policy is qualitatively examined via this interpretive phenomenological analysis. Methods included interviews, surveys, and questionnaires conducted with eight New Mexico educators. Utilization of hermeneutic member checking promotes trustworthiness and credibility (Noon, 2018). Through coding, findings reveal that NM early educators’ SWB may be negatively influenced by neoliberalist policy in public education. Themes related to connections between neoliberal public education policies and SWB include: demoralization caused by leaders; control of creativity; confines of curriculum; an illusion of freedom; limitations of high stakes testing and curriculum; experiences centered on abuse, trauma, and PTSD; and exhaustion, lack of humanity in public education policy, as well as educators’ invisibility. Implications exist for the arenas of education policy, high stakes testing, curriculum, ethics in education, and educator activism.

Policy recommendations for improving the implementation of Tanzania's ICT policy for basic education

와니하, 노엘 제럴드 부산대학교 대학원 2020 국내석사

A lot of Governments across the world is using Information and communication technology (ICT) as an educational technology tool with the aim improving the quality of education by the use of ICT. Tanzania Development Vision 2025, calls the need to invest in technology for creating a knowledge-based society and improving the quality of education in general which also identifies that ICT is a central point to an economic conversion and modest social. The development of the policy which focus on the use of ICT in education was a result of the Tanzania‟s development vision. The government of Tanzania through the ministry of education has adopted the ICT policy for basic Education in 2007. The Policy advocates that the use of ICT as an educational tool will empower all the stakeholders of education especially teachers and students to effectively use ICT in their academic activities, with the expectation of improving the quality of education. According to researchers and National reports different ICT strategies and government initiatives are in place to enable and support the use of ICT as educational technology tool in Tanzania‟s basic education, but the nation is still experiencing challenges and gaps in incorporating ICT in educational delivery in Tanzania schools. This thesis is intended to study and identify the major factors which affects the execution of the policy and come up with some policy recommendations/statements targeting policy makers so as to improve the implementation of Tanzania‟s ICT policy for basic education which focuses on integrating ICT in education. During the study, it has been found that there are 20 major factors that had been affecting the implementation ICT Policy for basic education and these major factors have been categorized into five (5) categories. The major five categories are (1) Infrastructure and Technical Issues, (2) Curriculum and Content, (3) Training and Capacity Building, (4) Management Support and Sustainability, and (5) Monitoring and Evaluation. To reduce the effects of these 20 identified factors, this thesis has recommended some policy principles/policy statements to improve the implementation of the policy which comprises some short-term and long-term actions, which will help to ease policy implementation and help on attaining the intended goal of integrating ICT in basic education and improvement of quality of education. Keywords: ICT for education, recommendations to improve policy implementation, Factors affecting policy implementation, improving quality of education, ICT policy. 전 세계의 많은 정부가 정보 통신 기술 (ICT) 을 교육 기술 도구로 사용하여 ICT를 사용하여 교육의 질을 향상하는 것을 목표로 하고 있다. 탄자니아 개발 비전 2025는 지식기반 사회를 창출하고 전반적인 교육의 질을 향상하기 위한 기술에 대한 투자의 필요성을 핵심으로 하고 있다. 교육에서 ICT 사용에 중점을 둔 정책 개발은 탄자니아의 개발 비전의 결과였다. 교육부를 통해 탄자니아 정부는 2007년에 기본 교육에 대한 ICT 정책을 채택했다. 이 정책은 교육 도구로 ICT를 사용하면 교육의 모든 이해 관계자, 특히 교사와 학생이 학업에 효과적으로 ICT를 사용할 수 있도록 힘을 실어 줄 것을 강조하였다. 하지만, 교육의 질 향상을 기대하는 활동들. 연구원과 국가 보고서에 따르면 탄자니아의 기본 교육에서 ICT를 교육 기술 도구로 사용핛 수 있도록 지원하기 위해 다양한 ICT 전략과 정부 이니셔티브가 시행되고 있지만, 여전히 국가가 여전히 탄자니아 학교의 교육 제공에 ICT를 통합하는 데 어려움과 격차가 있다. 이 논문은 정책 실행에 영향을 미치는 주요 요소들을 찾아내고, 교육에 ICT 통합에 중점을 둔 기본 교육에 대한 탄자니아의 ICT 정책 구현을 개선하기 위해 정책 입안자를 대상으로 하는 정책적 개선 방향을 찾는 것이 목적이다. 그 결과, 기초 교육에 대한 ICT 정책 이행에 영향을 미쳤던 20가지 주요 요인이 도출되었는데, 이러한 주요 요인은 5가지 범주로 분류되었다. 5 가지 주요 범주는 (1) 인프라 및 기술 문제, (2) 커리큘럼 및 내용, (3) 교육 및 역량 구축, (4) 관리 지원 및 지속 가능성, (5) 모니터링 및 평가들이다. 키워드 : 교육 ICT, 정책제언, 정책에 영향을 미치는 요소, 교육 품질 향상, ICT 정책.

After the recovery: Understanding education policy shifts in Rwanda, 1998--2012

Ehrenberg, Steven Teachers College, Columbia University 2016 해외박사(DDOD)

This is a qualitative case study of post-conflict Rwandan education policy development. It analyzes the Rwandan education policy subsystem over a 14 year period, with particular attention given to the dynamics between Rwandan state actors and donors in the education sector, and on tracking the flow of policy ideas and discourse as it flows from external reference societies to the Rwandan education sector. The analysis focuses on the period following Rwanda's recovery from 1994 genocide, beginning in 1998 with the launch of a process that was to culminate in the adoption of the first post-conflict education policy, and ending in 2012. The study provides insights into belief systems of the coalitions driving education policy shifts in Rwanda and how those belief systems intersected with each other. This case study contributes to the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), a theory of policy change, by describing an understudied case; redefining the gap in ACF case studies as categorical (lacking in civil society) rather than geographical (lacking in African cases); and proposing to redefine ACF variables to mitigate a bias towards pluralist democracies. It also contributes to a rising research agenda within literature on education and fragility by describing a case with common post-conflict variables (a steadily strengthening state; a ruling party composed mostly of a minority ethnic group; ongoing conflict at state borders) so that future meta-analyses can identify common patterns and characteristics of educational policy development among comparable cases. Finally, this study contributes specifically to an understanding of the politics of Rwandan educational development by describing meso-level policy making during the post-recovery period, whereas previous literature focused on the recovery period, macro-level analyses of donor-state relations, and micro-level policy analyses. It highlights how education policies, such as basic education policy, can be aligned discursively and with donor dollars, while simultaneously advancing local agendas through public expenditure on education.

Democracy in dispute? Ballot initiatives, education policy, and equal educational opportunity

Farley, Amy Nichole University of Colorado at Boulder 2014 해외박사(DDOD)

This dissertation explores the increasingly common use of citizen-initiated ballot initiatives as an education policy-making tool. The initiative process has grown in frequency and influence in recent years. It has become a means for citizens to mandate education policies, enact legislation, and amend state constitutions without the legislature and largely separate from representative democracy. Within education, these policies sometimes fall outside of research-based understandings of best practice. In this study, I investigate the impact of the ballot initiative phenomenon on American education policy, with particular emphasis on the extent to which ballot initiatives disproportionately affect disadvantaged students. I address the following central question: What is the relationship between education ballot initiatives, education policy, and equal opportunity, particularly for minority students? In addressing this central question, I explore (a) the specific characteristics of ballot initiatives and various state-level factors (e.g., partisanship, educational attainment, and poverty rates) associated with the passage of education ballot initiatives in the United States. I then examine how education policies that result from the ballot initiative process affect underrepresented students in particular and ultimately consider the implications of education ballot initiatives for democracy and equal educational opportunity. Findings suggest that throughout the history of ballot initiatives in the United States, education initiatives have been used 282 times to address a variety of substantive issues, including those related to (a) school funding, (b) governance, (c) higher education, (d) K-12 policy, and (e) civil rights and equal opportunity. Furthermore, in the course of education initiative history, 34 initiatives have specifically sought to limit the rights or educational opportunity of minority groups. These initiatives have disproportionately taken place in the last 25 years, and they have been overwhelmingly successful when compared to general education initiatives and the population of non-education initiatives. Results from logistic and linear regression models further suggest that minority-targeted education initiatives pass at significantly higher rates than non-minority targeted education initiatives, and that they garner considerably more yes votes regardless of passage. In fact, holding all other variables constant, minority-targeted initiatives are nearly three times as likely to pass as other similar education initiatives (e.g., when compared to other initiatives opposed by the teachers' association). For states with more people of color, this effect is even greater, suggesting that the potential for " tyranny of the majority " may increase when the supposed " threat-level " within the state (e.g., the perceived threat related to the presence of increasing numbers of minority residents) increases. This research is intended to contribute to a small body of literature regarding the impact of direct democracy on education policy. The data collected for this study represent the first comprehensive collection of education ballot initiatives throughout U.S. history. Moreover, this study is particularly important in that it considers the impact of education ballot initiatives on minority groups in particular, something that has not been done comprehensively to date. If education is to serve democratic purposes, policy decisions must be made with special attention to equality and justice, and must consider the needs of all students. Studies like this are essential, then, to better understand the benefits and potentially negative consequences of the ballot initiative process as an education policy-making tool, particularly for our most disadvantaged students.