Politics and Knowledge Shaping Educational Reform

1. Introduction: until the miracle arrives, we can learn from others Alan Ruby and Colleen McLaughlin; 2. Radical curriculum change and the politics of 'implementation': a South African case study Jonathan D. Jansen; 3. Towards a play-based pedagogy in Ghanaian kindergarten education: challenges and opportunities for implementation Esinam Ami Avornyo; 4. Implementing fee-free education in Rwanda: opportunities and challenges Timothy P. Williams; 5. Policy implementation in a Sisyphean State: improving Pedagogical practice in Perú through the soporte Pedagógico programme Maria Balarin; 6. Reforming the school system: lessons from England Peter Dudley and Robert Robson; 7. Educational reform in Scotland: policy, governance and professional culture Mark Priestley and Walter Humes; 8. The role of textbooks in improving education in Portugal Nuno Crato; 9. Turning social capital into a working wage: how teachers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan earn their pay and their keep Raisa Belyavina Schwanbeck; 10. High-performance and equity: closing the gap contributes to success Peeter Mehisto and Maie Kitsing; 11. Missing opportunity? Transformation of the teachers' remuneration system in Kazakhstan in the context of increasing wages Isak Frumin; 12. Conclusion – global and national shifts in implementing educational reform Colleen McLaughlin and Alan Ruby.