Gifted Students’Special Educational Programs in France:An Analysis of Students’Needs as Perceived by Headmasters-A Secondary Publication

Some French public middle schools offer gifted students the opportunity to pursue their education in general classes,while benefiting from specific facilities within the framework of a dedicated educational program.In this study,we sought to identify and analyze the needs of these students as perceived by the headmaster of each middle school involved.The results highlight two main student needs,common to all these programs(uneasiness and difficulties in peer relationships)as well as needs specifically mentioned by some headmasters(non-adaptive behavior).

Book Review of Developing Multilingual Education Policies:Theory,Research and Practice Edited by Michal Tannenbaum,and Elana Shohamy,London&New York:Routledge,2023,PP.208,$135.ISBN:978-0-367-61989-3(hbk)

In the book review,the author introduced the latest theoretical and practical endeavors by Isreali scholars to tackle challenges posed by multilingualism.Michal Tannenbaum and Elena Shohamy conducted a comprehensive examination of the Isreali social and educational context,setting the stage for their proposal of a new multilingual policy.The new multilingual education policy has been formulated on the basis of extensive domestic and overseas research and empirical investigation,it is expected to be offer some insights into promoting multilingualism and social justice in both Isreal and the world.

A Comparative Study of the Value Orientations of Foreign Language Education Policies in China and the United States in the 21st Century

Since the 21 st century, both Chinese Mainland and the United States have formulated foreign language education policiesbased on their national needs. This paper makes a comparative study of the value orientations of foreign language education poli-cies in Chinese Mainland and the United States in the 21 st century and finds that both China and the United States have regardedtheir national interests as the essential value orientation of their foreign language education policies. To be specific,the core valueorientation of foreign language education policies in China is to enhance its cultural soft power.In contrast,the core value orienta-tion of foreign language education policies in the United States is to safeguard its national security. Through the comparison of thedifferent value orientations of foreign language education policies of the two countries, the paper provides some reference for the for-eign language education policy-making in Chinese Mainland.

Development of International Chinese Language Education in Iran:An Analysis in the Context of Iran’s Foreign Language Policy Characteristics

This paper focuses on examining the relevant policies concerning Chinese language education within Iran’s foreign language education policy framework from the perspective of its historical context.By analyzing the characteristics of Iran’s foreign language policy and the current situation of Chinese language teaching in Iran,this paper studies the future development of international Chinese language education in Iran.

A comparative analysis of information literacy curriculum standards in the educational programs of high schools in China and in the United States

Our study aims to take a closer look at China's current information literacy(IL) program standards at secondary schools and to analyze their level of success and/or failures in a comparative way with those of the United States in terms of fulfilling their each other's mission-oriented mandates. Our research findings show that China's current IL standards of high schools contain a disproportionate emphasis on information technology(IT). Moreover, the stipulations of these IL standards are narrowly construed and without being solidly grounded on a broad and comprehensive educational perspective. We also suggest that there are two underlying causes for this set of unsound IL standards in China.Firstly, there is a lack of collaboration between two major competing forces engaged in the curricular development and research of IL in China: Those professionals in educational IT discipline vis-à-vis those in Library and Information Science. Secondly, library professionals have a very limited influence on major socio-cultural policies, even at their own institutions. As a result, this paper recommends the following three possible measures,which may help remedy this situation strategically: 1) Establishing a set of new IL curriculum standards based on an IL-centered educational perspective; 2) establishing a teacher-librarian's training program to promote school librarians' role in IL education; and 3) strengthening the research and development of an online IL education program and an accompanied evaluation mechanism.

Reflections on Foreign Language Education Policy Reform in China Under the Background of“One Belt and One Road”Initiative

The initiative of“One Belt and One Road”is an important development strategy under the new normal economic background of China,and foreign economic development relies heavily on foreign language talents of the nation.However,the current foreign language education in China has faced problems from a shortage of compound foreign language talents,inadequacy of foreign languages offered,and imbalanced regional development.Given that the initiative has higher requirements for cultivating foreign language talents,we hold that China’s current foreign language education policy may reform from conducting theoretical studies of foreign language teaching,offering more foreign languages and enhancing professional development of teachers.Conversely,China’s foreign language talents can contribute more to the effective and smooth implementation of the“One Belt and One Road”initiative.

What Efforts has the Chinese Government Made to Reduce Educa­tional Inequality in Poor Areas?

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949,China’s per capita education level has risen from less than two years to 9.91 years.However,as the province with the lowest per capita education level in China,Tibet has only reached the level of 6.75 years per capita.This illustrates the worrying educational inequality that still exists between China’s poorer and more developed regions.This educational inequality can also be expressed by the Gini coefficient of education.In order to eliminate this educational inequality,the Chinese government has made great efforts.The Chinese government has expanded the demand for education through the right incentive system and the nine-year compulsory education law.On the other hand,the Chinese government directly or indirectly grants subsidies to education suppliers and demanders to achieve the purpose of increasing education output.Based on the positive externality of education itself,the Chinese government attaches great importance to the cultivation of human resources for offspring,and hopes to transform China’s quantity-based demographic dividend into quality-based demographic dividend,and finally realize sustained economic growth.We believe that some education-related policies promulgated by China have indeed reduced educational inequality in poor areas to some extent,but there is still potential for progress in further addressing educational inequality in poor areas by the Chinese government.

Contribution of International and Comparative Approach to the Policy and Practice of Teacher Education

This study intends to identify the value and pitfalls of international and comparative approach for the policy and practice of teacher education.The structure of this article proceeds as follows:the first section focuses on explaining the meaning and the values of international and comparative approach;based on previous discussions,the second section makes a more in-depth analysis of the values of international and comparative approach to teacher education from five key themes;the final section of this article proposes and interprets the drawbacks of international and comparative approach in teacher education.

Philanthrocapitalism and the State:Mapping the Rise of Venture Philanthropy in Public Education in Australia

Purpose:This article maps the rise of venture philanthropy in public education in Australia,exploring how policy networks mobilize high-level systemic reform and governance technologies.This is philanthrocapitalism,a fundamental shift for policy mobility and modes of redistribution.Design/Approach/Methods:Drawing upon network ethnography,I focus on a node called Social Ventures Australia(SVA),an organization committed to revolutionizing venture philanthropy in Australian education reform.SVA,the brainchild of McKinsey&Company and multinational corporations,is a useful example to map how venture philanthropy leverages resources and,in the process,fundamentally changes the shape,functionality,and form of traditional government.Findings:SVA has successfully advocated for several intermediaries,such as an evidence broker(Evidence for Learning),a national charity(Schools Plus),and a national education research institute(Australian Education Research Organisation).Overlapping philanthropy and state,the intermediaries stand as a critical assemblage and technology of governance.Originality/Value:Venture philanthropy and the way in which these networks achieve high-level systemic reform is under-researched in Australia.It stands as a critical lever of policy reform in public education.This article will scrutinize and map the way these networks mobilize reform and function as an identifiable form of economic exchange.

Policies,Strategies,and the Evolutionary Logic of Large-Scale Teacher Training in China

Purpose:Based on a systematic review of policy documents in China related to teacher training over the past four decades,this paper identifies and analyzes the main policy shifts and strategies in terms of teacher training in China.Design/Approach/Methods:Using quantitative trend analysis,high-frequency word analysis,and content analysis,this study presents the policy changes in and reform of China's national teacher training system and elucidates the reasons for such changes.Findings:Chinese teacher training and practice reforms resonate with the paradigm shifts of international teacher training and development,particularly those based on real-world scenarios.However,innovations have also been made in response to the problems of Chinese in-service teacher training and development,such as the lack of time for teachers and the separation between learning and practice.Such innovations reflect the government's efforts to narrow the gaps between theory,policy,and practice by improving China's macro policy design.Originality/Value:This study contributes to the longitudinal study of policy shifts in teacher training in China.

Chinese Educational Policy Research:The Arduous Formation of a Research Paradigm

Purpose:Through combing the 40 years’history of the development of Chinese educational policy research,this article attempts to sort out the efforts and lessons learned by researchers in the field of education policy in China.Design/Approach/Methods:As one of the earliest scholars engaged in the study of Chinese education policy,based on the academic publications,symposia,and thematic research,the author has found efforts in four directions in the field:proposals for policy-oriented research and research-oriented policy,disciplinization-based endeavors,empirical research on theory-guided educational policy,and guidance on major educational policy research topics and a think tank for educational policy decisions.Findings:This article argues that there is now a correspondence among the ideas,themes,forms,and frameworks of the educational reform promulgated by the government in recent years that have appeared in educational policy research,but there is no clear demarcation of what makes an educational policy researcher;no stable academic community has been formed that might strive together toward the foundation of a disciplinary paradigm,the rational organization of academic ideas,and the establishment and handing over of a theoretical framework to a succeeding generation.Originality/Value:This article takes a step back to claim that a paradigm for Chinese educational policy research is still nascent in the arduous process of formulation.

Determining Administrative Costs in Greek Public Administration

The purpose of this paper is to approach the administrative costs in the field of education and to answer questions such as:How are administrative costs measured and evaluated?Is it taken into account in the analysis of policy options?Administrative costs affect all areas of public education and absorb a large part of the state budget appropriations intended for education.Through the presentation of the general and specific objectives but also the European participation in the rational management of the management costs of the educational units,we lead to a holistic approach to the operational costs of the education that is part of the social costs.

Native-speakerism in China:An Investigation of Foreign Language Education Policy and Learners’Attitudes

With the development of globalization,the use of English is no longer restricted to native speaker(NS)but also widely spread to non-native speaker(NNS).The importance of English learning is also acknowledged by Expanding and Outer Circle,and English as a foreign language(EFL)education plays a significant role in China’s education.Admitting the fact that non-native English teachers(NNESTs)take up a large proportion of English teachers,English language teaching(ELT)is still greatly influenced by native-speakerism.This research aims to investigate language ideologies reflected in Chinese foreign language education policy(FLEP)at higher education level,and Chinese English learners’attitudes towards native-speakerism and English teachers.A mixed method of policy analysis and survey is adopted in this research.After conducting analysing two FLEPs in higher education level,it is found that linguistic instrumentalism is the prominent language ideology,although native-speakerism and standard English ideology is implicitly demonstrated.Questionnaire is used to investigate 58 Chinese English learners’attitudes,revealing that most participants do not demonstrate bias towards either NESTs or NNESTs.Instead,the strengths and weaknesses of both NEST and NNEST are identified,though participants adhere to native-speakerism in terms of English variety.Overall,English learner’s attitudes are consistent with language ideologies in FLEPs.This research may provide implications for future studies on addressing native-speakerism in Chinese FLEPs,as well as relationship of students’attitudes and language policies.

Research on the Dynamic Relationships among Taiwan’s Early Childhood Education and Its Stakeholders: The System Dynamics Perspective

In Taiwan,the low birth rate has become one of the most critical problems faced by the government and educational institutions at all levels.The enrolling student number of kindergartens perhaps is the most directly affected by such trend.The purpose of this study aims at constructing a system dynamics model to depict the relationships between the preschool children and their stakeholders for deducing the evolutionary trends of,and the interactions of,governmental policies and the operations of the early childhood education institutions.Through the interpretation of policies and simulation analysis of the twenty-year growth trend related to the child population in Taiwan,this study found that governmental policies and the promotion of education and care services have a positive effect on the growth of all levels of kindergarten classes.Besides,the relationship between the education and care service staff and the kindergarten play a causal balancing role in our proposed model.We suggest that the system dynamics model proposed by this study can help to observe the dynamic relationships formed by the stakeholders in preschool education and care system based on the“joint responsibility”of Taiwan’s early childhood education.

“Real People” is the Core View of the Materialization of the Object of Patriotic Education

The object of patriotism education is the people,who are the creators of the spirit of patriotism and constantly add new connotations to it.Historical activities are the activities of the masses,with the deepening of historical activities,it will be the expansion of the masses.Patriotism education is an important part of ideological and political education activities,and it is the stage that cannot be crossed to realize the real community.

Following New Philanthropy by Network Ethnography:How Did the Varkey Foundation Land and Expand in Latin America?

Purpose:New philanthropy develops new forms of policy“problem-solving”through the influx of private actors’money and ideas.It adopts singular configurations across different policy spaces,with implications for education governance.We address this phenomenon by analyzing the Varkey Foundation’s(VF)“landing”and“expansion”in Latin America.VF is a global philanthropic organization registered in the United Kingdom in 2011 with a main hub in Argentina,where it landed in 2017.Design/Approach/Methods:We use network ethnography to examine the influence of new philanthropy on education governance as this phenomenon demands new methods to grasp the“realities”of governing beyond conventional ways and understanding policy mobilities.Findings:Results indicate how VF“landed”in a little pro-market space via productive uses of policy networks.The second phase of data collection and analysis presents further consolidation of VF in Argentina,its expansion into Latin America,and its establishment as a legitimate education policy actor.Originality/Value:This study provides new evidence and insights into how policy networks enable new philanthropy to land and consolidate within national boundaries and,later,across the region as a legitimate actor in education.

Beyond Well-being: The Quest for Wholeness and Purpose in Education

Purpose:This article develops a critique of contemporary understandings and practices related to well-being in education.It proposes a fuller development of wholeness and purpose that supplements and goes beyond the new well-being agenda.Design/Approach/Methods:This article draws upon a document analysis of conceptual and policy frameworks related to well-being.It builds its critique of well-being with reference to a qualitative study consisting of 222 interviews with educators in the Canadian province of Ontario with regard to their understandings of well-being.It includes references to the research and development work in the U.S.,Germany,and Norway.Findings:The inclusion of well-being in policy agendas is an important step forward in the field of educational change,but this indication of progress is in danger of being reified through simplistic understandings of life satisfaction and other frameworks that evade the complexity of human development.Wholeness and purpose are concepts that include but also go beyond well-being that should be addressed by educators.Originality/Value:Most of the criticisms of the new well-being agenda in educational policies and research simply assume its status as a summum bonum for human development.This essay acknowledges the importance of well-being but expands beyond it to define wholeness and purpose as an alternative set of constructs with their own independent integrity that should not simply be subsumed into current well-being agendas.

Post-PISA Education Reforms in China:Policy Response Beyond the Digital Governance of PISA

Purpose:This study analyzes the Programme for International Student Assessment(PISA)data,revealing that the test itself reflects China’s educational problems as well as the resultant effect of digital governance.Examining the root cause of these problems,this study demonstrates that the education reforms implemented in response to the PISA have gone beyond digital governance.Design/Approach/Methods:This study conducts a text analysis of materials related to China’s education system,including PISA data and analytical reports published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development since 2009.Findings:Reflected by PISA data,the main problems facing China’s educational sector include the overburdening of students at school,emphasis on knowledge acquisition during the teaching process,and the prevalence of extracurricular tuition.The digital governance effect triggered by PISA is highly consistent with China’s constant and excessive pursuit of efficiency,emphasis on scores,and the rate of students entering higher level schools.In the new era,China actively reflected on the disadvantages of digital governance before implementing a series of education reforms that go beyond it.Originality/Value:This study is based on China’s cultural background and the latest contexts.It examines the impact of the large-scale international assessment on China’s education governance and discusses the impact of digital governance on the education reforms in other countries.The implementation of China’s post-PISA education reforms demonstrates that different countries can implement rational education reforms based on their own cultural traditions and social realities as well as by referencing and using PISA data with care and prudence.

Competing Theories for Improving Teacher Preparation Programs:The Case of North Carolina

Purpose:Written from the prospective of a school of education dean,the article describes how deans worked with researchers and university system staff to develop multiple measures of teacher preparation program(TPP)quality.Design/Approach/Methods:As a key participant in the development of a multi-methods approach to evaluating(TPP)quality,the author frequently interacted with the university system oversight staff,the researchers tasked with measuring TPP quality,and the school of education deans.The article draws on his experience in collaborating with individuals in these three groups over an 8-year period.The article also reviews the controversial history of hierarchical linear models as tools for evaluating TPPs.Findings:The author argues that over time and as a result of frequent conversations and discussions,the three groups collaborated in creating a data dashboard that provides TPP faculty with evidence that enables them to make data-informed improvements to their programs and satisfies policymakers’interest in informing the public of TPP quality.Originality/Value:Few,if any,articles have been published that describe a collaborative process for creating a data repository that can inform the continuous improvement of TPPs and address policymakers’concerns about teacher quality.Educators,researchers,and policymakers elsewhere may learn about how to develop a partnership focused on generating and using data in program improvement as well as the value of multiple measures in evaluating TPPs and informing policymakers.

Exploring the Mysteries of School Success in Shanghai

Purpose-The purpose of the paper is to discuss some of the mysteries around the much-touted recent success of school education in China and to explore some of the key conditions that may underpin the success.Design/Approach/Methods-It is a conceptual paper.A wide range of available data and literature has been consulted and analyzed to carefully marshal arguments about how to understand the mysteries and the conditions underpinning the success.Findings-The paper discusses four mysteries around education success in China.It argues for the development of a fuller and more contextualized perspective to view the success.The paper further suggests that neither of the four general conditions for success-values,reform,leadership or teaching approaches-taken alone,can explain pathways to success.Originality/Value-The paper provides an original explanatory description of the mysteries of education success and underlying conditions.This paper helps fill a gap in Western understanding of the“why”and“how”of school success in China.