"This is a very strong collection of essays by some of the top scholars in the field of European social policy, including both historians and social scientists. The individual chapters are richly detailed, well written, and informative, documenting a wide range of thinking and practices about children, families, and states over more than two centuries.” · Sonya Michel, University of Maryland"[A] very useful collection. The editors have taken an inclusive approach to Europe: chapters cover not only the large countries such as France, Germany, or Britain but also many smaller nations like Switzerland, the Czech Republic, or Hungary. Each of the national case studies provides a concise and well-organized account of historical background and present-day contours of educational time policy.” · Ann Taylor Allen, University of Louisville