Hard Questions on Global Educational Change

Book excerpt: This new book, from internationally renowned education scholar Pasi Sahlberg and his colleagues, focuses on some of the most controversial issues in contemporary education reform around the world. The authors devote a chapter to each of these “hard questions”: Does parental choice improve education systems?Is there a future for teacher unions?What is the right answer to the standardized testing questionCan schools prepare children for the 21st-century workplace?Will technology save schools?Can anyone be a teacher?Should higher education be for the public good?What knowledge and skills should an educator have? Each educational change question sheds much-needed light on today’s large-scale education policies and related reforms around the world. The authors focus on what makes each question globally significant, what we know from international research, and what can be inferred from benchmark evidence. The final chapter offers a model for policymakers with implications for teaching, learning, and schooling overall. “This is an impressive and engaging book. If you care about the impacts of technology, testing, and teacher education designs, then this book will stretch your thinking and challenge your assumptions.” —Andy Hargreaves, Boston College “Fascinating case studies open up our imaginations and provide clues for the most sustainable pathways forward for educators in the years to come.” —Dennis Shirley, Boston College “Features enlightening chapters with an international perspective for educators and teacher educators alike. Highly recommended.” —David C. Berliner, Arizona State University