Education System Design: Foundations, Policy Options and Consequences

This book highlights decisions governments have to make about their public education systems, the options they have before them and the consequences of their decisions. As well as covering issues such as values, curriculum, teacher training, structures and so on, the book addresses education planning for epidemics, pandemics and disasters.

Education systems provide the foundations for the future wellbeing of every society, yet existing systems are a point of global concern. Education System Design is a response to debates in developing and developed countries about the characteristics of a high-quality national education service. It questions what makes a successful system of education. With chapters that draw on experience in education systems around the world, each one considers an element of a national education service and its role in providing a coherent and connected set of structures to ensure good education for all members of society.

Key topics include:

• Existing education systems and what a future system might look like
• Inclusion and social justice
• Leadership and teacher education
• Policy options, and the consequences of policy changes

This book suggests an education system be viewed as an ecosystem with interdependencies between many different components needing to be considered when change is contemplated. It is a vital book for any stakeholders in educational systems including students, teachers and senior leaders. It would be particularly useful to policy makers and those implementing policy changes.

Brian Hudson is Emeritus Professor and former Head of the School of Education and Social Work (2012–16) at the University of Sussex, Honorary Professor and former Associate Dean for Research at the University of Dundee (2009–12) and currently Senior Professor at Karlstad University, Sweden. His particular research interests are in mathematics education, ICT and learning, curriculum studies and subject didactics. He is a board member and former chair of the Teacher Education Policy in Europe (TEPE) ( https://twitter.com/TEPEnetwork ); was the main organiser of the WERA ( www.weraonline.org ) International Research Network on Didactics –Learning and Teaching and is currently an Associate Editor of the Journal of Curriculum Studies. He was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2004 and Honorary Network Membership of the European Education Research Association ( https://eera-ecer.de ) Network 27 on Didactics□– Learning and Teaching in 2016.

Marilyn Leask has held roles in central and local government, universities, schools and research institutes. She is visiting Professor at De Montfort and Winchester Universities, UK, and is committed to supporting international collaboration between teachers and educational researchers for the benefit of learners everywhere. In 1992, she initiated the Learning to Teach in the secondary school series of textbooks which she co-edits. She is co-chair of the Education Futures Collaboration Charity which oversees the MESHGuides initiative ( www.meshguides.org ) addressing the UN’s SDG 4, and with Professor Younie and Ulf Lundin from Sweden, initiated the European SchoolNet in 1995 ( www.eun.org ). She is an elected board member of the Council for Subject Associations and the Technology Pedagogy and Education Association. She has previously held elected roles on the British Educational Research Association national council and the national council Universities Council for the Education of Teachers.

Sarah Younie is Professor of Education Innovation and previous Director of the Institute for Education Futures at De Montfort University. She sits on ICET (International Council on Education for Teaching) and is the UK BERA (British Education Research Association) Convenor for Educational Research and Policy Making Special Interest Group. She is a Trustee and founder member of the Education Futures Collaboration (EFC) charity and MESH (Mapping Education Specialist knowHow) project, which provides research evidence to inform teachers’ professional practice, and represents MESH on the international UNESCO Teacher Task Force panel. MESH contributes to UN SDG4. She has been involved in international research on technologies in education for UNESCO, EU, UK Government Agencies, Local Authorities and educational charities. As the UK Chair of the National Subject Association of IT in Teacher Education (ITTE) she has submitted evidence for Parliamentary Select Committees. Professor Younie is currently the Editor-in-Chief for the □international Journal of Technology, Pedagogy and Education.