Cross-nationally Comparative, Evidence-based Educational Policymaking and Reform

Alexander W. Wiseman is Professor of Comparative and International Education at Lehigh University, USA. Petrina M. Davidson is a doctoral candidate in the Comparative and International Education program and serves as a research associate for the Office of International Affairs at Lehigh University, USA.

• Preface: Alexander W. Wiseman 1. The Rhythmic Application of Evidence-Based Policy in National Educational Systems Worldwide; Alexander W. Wiseman and Petrina M. Davidson Part 1: Preparing For National Education Reform2. Micro-Policy Discourse as Consultation in Girls’ Education; Emily Anderson   3. The Quality of Higher Education in the Arab Region: Which Tools of Assessment to Use; Azza Akram Shafei4. The Building of an Assessment Regime: A Policy Analysis of the Annual National Assessments in South Africa; Tshegofatso Thulare 5. The School Decentralization Process in Georgia and South Africa through the Lens of World Culture Theory: A Comparative Analysis; Nino Dzotsenidze Part 2: Implementing National Education Reform6. The Effects of Governance Reforms on School Supervision: Evidence from Six Developing and Emerging Economies; Mobarak Hossain 7. Beyond Large-Scale Achievement Testing – The 'Psychological Turn' in International Organizations’ Work on Educational Assessment; Mike Zapp 8. Developing National Higher Education Indicators: Lessons and Opportunities from the UAE; Sajida H. Shroff and Daniel Kratochvil Part 3: Evaluating National Education Reform9. Learning from Successful Examples: From Local Testing to International Assessments; Mariam Orkodashvili10. A Critical ‘Positivist’ Analysis of Tatweer Policy in Saudi Arabia; Tariq Elyas and Abdullah Al-Ghamdi 11. An Omani National Remedial Program in Response to TIMSS 2007 Results: Cognitive Knowledge Development Program for Students in Science, Mathematics and Concepts of Environmental Geography; Munira Al-Wahaibi and Asila Al-Maawali 12. One Size for All? - Policy Advice of the World Bank and the OECD on Quality Assurance and Evaluation of School Education in Russia, Brazil and China; Tuomas Takala, Johanna Kallo, Jaakko Kauko and Risto Rinne

Drawing in part from examples of policymaking in national educational systems and international organizations, education scholars describe, synthesize, and forecast how large-scale assessments and quantitative data impact evidence-based policymaking. In sections on preparing for, implementing, and evaluating national education reform, they consider such topics as the rhythmic application of evidence-based policy in national educational systems worldwide, the quality of higher education in the Arab region: which tools of assessment to use, the effects of governance reforms on school supervision: an analysis of six developing and emerging economies, and learning from successful examples: from local testing to international assessments.