This document contains the colloquium papers which address the following topics: the challenge of change, coordination versus decentralisation, governance and accountability, open and distance education, and private sector participation. It also contains the Lloyds Bank Lecture on education for life and work in the 1990s.

This handbook focuses on and compares the education systems in the three Americas: North, Central and South America, and includes a chapter on most countries in the region. The chapters follow a common structure and include schematic diagrams of the structure of mainstream education from pre-primary to tertiary level. Each chapter starts with a description of the historical and social foundations of the education system from the post-World War II period up to today, including political, economic and cultural contexts and conditions. By highlighting important dates and structural decisions, the current education system can be understood as resulting from past developments. The first part ends with a description of the transitions to the labour market that are offered, and the way in which these are organized in the education system described. The second part consists of an overview of the institutional and organizational principles as well as the structure of education from pre-primary to tertiary level. It includes a focus on legislative bases and financial provisions for the education system and a description of the structure by using the ISCED-classification. It further includes information of the supply of human resources such as teachers and other educators. The third and final part of the handbook discusses selected educational trends and aspects. In this context, three topics are of particular interest: dealing with inequality, ICT and digitization activities, and STEM-related policies and programmes.

Sociology of Education in Canada utilizes a contemporary theoretical focus to analyze how education in Canada is affected by pre-existing and persistent inequalities among members of society. It presents the historical and cultural factors that have shaped our current education system, examines the larger social trends that have contributed to present problems, discusses the various interest groups involved, and analyzes the larger social discourses that influence any discussion of these issues. To achieve this, Karen Robson uses many current, topical, and relatable issues in Canadian education to ensure that readers fully comprehend the information being presented and leave with an appreciation of how the sociology of education is inextricably linked to issues of stratification.

This publication is composed of the summary of discussion and the papers prepared for the Nuffield Canadian Seminar. The seminar, entitled "The Costs of Post-Secondary Education in a Technological Society," was held at Cap-Rouge, near Quebec City, 25-27 June 1971. The seminar reviewed the response of developed nations to the important and difficult challenges confronting post-secondary education in this technological age. It brought together heads of post-secondary institutions and educational advisory bodies, financial and educational government officials, educational researchers, and businessmen. Approximately fifty per cent of the participants were from Canada with the remainder from Australia, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Norway, United States, West Germany, and from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. La présente publication comprend les exposés présentés lors du colloque canadien Nuffield ainsi qu'un résumé des discussions. Le colloque intitulé "Le cout de l'enseignement post-secondaire dans une société technologique" s'est tenu à Cap-Rouge, près de Québec, les 25, 26, et 27 juin, 1971. Le colloque a étudié la façon dont les nations industrialisées ont abordé les solutions aux problèmes de l'enseignement post-secondaire à notre époque technologique. II a réuni des responsables d'institutions d'enseignement post-secondaire, des conseillers en éducation, des hauts fonctionnaires des finances et de l'éducation, des spécialistes de la recherche dans le domaine de l'éducation et des hommes d'affaires. Environ la moitié des participants étaient du Canada; les autres étaient venus de l'Australie, la Belgique, la France, la Grande-Bretagne, la Norvège, les États-Unis, l'Allemagne de l'Ouest, ainsi que de l'Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques.