Exploring the development of educational provision and contemporary issues, this book covers the countries that made up the European Union from its foundation to the signing of the Treaty of Nice: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands. The chapters, written by regional experts, offer a review of contemporary national and regional educational structures and policies, research innovation and trends, as well as covering selected issues and problems including the effects of educational reform and systemic changes within the school and university systems, minority languages, and intercultural changes for indigenous and new immigrant populations.

The volume provides a comprehensive reference resource for education in the countries that joined the European Union between the signing of the Treaty of Nice to the present time: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Many of these countries have previously been under the influence of the Soviet Union and are moving through transitional phases towards more western models. The chapters in this volume, written by regional experts, examine the educational heritage of these countries and how these education systems evolved in response to changing national needs, European agreements including the Treaty of Nice and The Bologna Process, and international evaluations such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The chapters on Cyprus and Malta show the very special circumstances of these two Mediterranean islands and the international influences that have underpinned their developments in education.

Education in Non-EU Countries in Western and Southern Europe is a critical reference guide to the development of education in Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland and the Vatican City. The chapters, written by regional experts, provide detailed studies of educational systems, which are considered in the light of the broader international trends and developments. Key themes include educational reform and the quality of education, educational change processes in post-socialist transition, the Europeanization of higher education, and the unique challenges of educational provision faced by microstates. Including guides to available online datasets, this book is an essential reference for researchers, scholars, international agencies and policy-makers.

This book tells the story of the European Movement’s mission to create—through education—a European spirit in order to secure the success of European integration. This book draws links between the crisis of solidarity experienced by the European Union today and the difficulties faced throughout European integration to develop a fully-fledged EU education policy. It makes the case that education has not been a stable mechanism for fostering spirit due to its national attachment to identity and nation-building. Without education, it has been difficult to foster the spirit needed to establish a strong citizen-wide sense of European solidarity to overcome the crises the EU faces today. Exploring the connection between education and solidarity through the notion of spirit, the book presents an interdisciplinary study that avoids the compartmentalisation of education studies, philosophy and political science to bring ideas together that shed fresh light on contemporary debates currently under the spotlight.

Geography of Education sets out the scope of this emergent, interdisciplinary field. It illustrates the essential affinity of geographical and educational studies, by emphasising the geographical factors influencing formal education systems and other forms of knowledge transfer. Colin Brock begins by arguing the theoretical synergy that exists between the nature of both geography and educational studies as disciplines. This is then exemplified by an analysis of the emergence of systems of schooling under the influence of religious, political and economic forces. The author also considers informal and non-formal modes of education, and argues that the huge diversity of such provision creates a rich resource for research into geographies of education. In the final chapters the author turns his attention to the role of cyberspace, which has its own geography, in learning, and considers education as a form of humanitarian response to issues of environmental sustainability. By bringing together a wide range of themes and topics relating to both education and geography, Colin Brock argues that the geographical approach should inform the evolution of all types of educational provision around the world.

Austerity and the Remaking of European Education offers historically and empirically grounded accounts of national educational formations in Europe, at a specific time in their reshaping through encounters with global policy frameworks, and social and economic developments. The authors explore these issues in the context of different pressures that impact on European education systems - from the constraints established by the European Central Bank and the European Commission across Southern Europe, to the 2008 financial crisis and the increased migration. The book provides a rigorous theoretical approach to European and national policies, combined with detailed analyses of national educational contexts in England, France, Greece, Hungary and Sweden. These in-depth studies identify major issues of national education policymaking, and explore the complexities of global/national relationships. The economic crisis, the rise of the Left in Greece and of the populist Right in many countries in Europe, questions of cultural and religious diversity, tensions between marketization and inclusion are all brought into focus, offering findings that are of great interest to researchers of education policy, politics and sociology of education alike. In the final section of the book, the authors explore policy alternatives, as embodied in the activities of both governments and non-state actors, such as trade unions and social movements.

One of the most important factors in pupils' success in school are the relationships developed with teachers and other children. Not only are these relationships important in their own right, but they have considerable bearing on pupil motivation, achievement, and on their perceptions of themselves as learners. Social and Learning Relationships in Primary Schools is based upon, but not confined by, recent research projects focused on a range of relationships that exist within English primary schools. This text provides substantial evidence and rich insights into the development and ongoing influences on these social and learning relationships, relating to both the academic and affective outcomes of pupils. The book is presented in four parts: i) social interaction and the curriculum; ii) classroom relationships and the impact on learning; iii) professional identity and professional development; and iv) individual differences and inclusion. Through these sections, the authors identify important features of primary schooling including, for example, delivery of the core subjects, learning environment, role of student teachers in schools, classroom technology, and the transition between phases of education. They examine a number of social psychological influences on these relationships in terms of career phase, professional identity, adult-child and peer relationships, and self-efficacy and provide powerful evidence of the complexities of primary school life. Drawing together the perspectives of a number of authors, all of whom have served as practising teachers as well as gaining a wealth of experience in the higher education sector, Social and Learning Relationships in Primary Schools offers a detailed and holistic understanding of the influences that shape learning, policy and practice in this context.