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In the past decade, hundreds of impact evaluation studies have measured the learning outcomes of education interventions in developing countries. The impact magnitudes are often reported in terms of "standard deviations," making them difficult to communicate to policy makers beyond education specialists. This paper proposes two approaches to demonstrate the effectiveness of learning interventions, one in "equivalent years of schooling" and another in the net present value of potential increased lifetime earnings. The results show that in a sample of low- and middle-income countries, one standard deviation gain in literacy skill is associated with between 4.7 and 6.8 additional years of schooling, depending on the estimation method. In other words, over the course of a business-as-usual school year, students learn between 0.15 and 0.21 standard deviation of literacy ability. Using that metric to translate the impact of interventions, a median structured pedagogy intervention increases learning by the equivalent of between 0.6 and 0.9 year of business-as-usual schooling. The results further show that even modest gains in standard deviations of learning--if sustained over time--may have sizeable impacts on individual earnings and poverty reduction, and that conversion into a non-education metric should help policy makers and non-specialists better understand the potential benefits of increased learning. [This paper is a product of the Office of the Chief Economist, Africa Region and the World Development Report 2018 Team.]

This paper examines common instructional strategies in early grade mathematics interventions through a review of studies in classrooms in low- and middle-income countries. Twenty-four studies met the criteria for inclusion, and analyses reveal four sets of instructional strategies for which there is evidence from multiple contexts. Of the 24 studies, 16 involved the use of multiple representations, 10 involved the use of developmental progressions, 6 included supporting student use of explanation and justification, and 5 included integration of informal mathematics. Based on the review, we provide conclusions and recommendations for future research and policy.

This report presents the results of RTI International Education's study on teachers' guides across 13 countries and 19 projects. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, we examine how teachers' guides across the projects differ and find substantial variation in the design and structure of the documents. We develop a scripting index so that the scripting levels of the guides can be compared across projects. The impact results of the programs that use teachers' guides show significant impacts on learning outcomes, associated with approximately an additional half year of learning, showing that structured teachers' guides contribute to improved learning outcomes. During observations, we find that teachers make a variety of changes in their classroom instruction from how the guides are written, showing that the utilization of structured teachers' guides do not create robotic teachers unable to use their own professional skills to teach children. Unfortunately, many changes that teachers make reduce the amount of group work and interactivity that was described in the guides, suggesting that programs should encourage teachers to more heavily utilize the instructional routines designed in the guide. The report includes a set of research-based guidelines that material developers can use to develop teachers' guides that will support effective instructional practices and help improve learning outcomes. The key takeaway from the report is that structured teachers' guides improve learning outcomes, but that overly scripted teachers' guides are somewhat less effective than simplified teachers' guides that give specific guidance to the teacher but are not written word for word for each lesson in the guide.

During the past decade, national qualifications frameworks (NQFs) have been developed and implemented across Europe. Triggered by the adoption of the European qualifications framework (EQF) in 2008, these frameworks draw attention to the outcomes of education and training, focusing on what learners are expected to know, understand and are able to do. Learning outcomes-based level descriptors are essential to these frameworks. While technical in their character, these descriptors not only help to define and map the (vertical) level of complexity of a particular qualification, they also help to clarify its (horizontal) orientation, be this on theoretical knowledge, practical skills and/or transversal competences. Level descriptors are thus important reference points, aiming to reinforce the learning outcomes orientation of education, training and qualification systems. This publication provides an updated overview of NQF level descriptors of 39 countries participating in EQF implementation. It celebrates the 10th anniversary of the EQF process in 2018 and its contribution to transparency and comparability of European qualifications. It shows the progress made in this area and challenges ahead.

A major task of South Africa's new government in 1994 was to promote racial equity in the state education system. This paper evaluates progress toward this goal using three distinct concepts: equal treatment, equal educational opportunity, and educational adequacy. The authors find that the country has succeeded in establishing racial equity defined as equal treatment, primarily through race-blind policies for allocating state funds for schools. Progress measured by the other two criteria, however, has been constrained by the legacy of apartheid, including poor facilities and lack of human capacity in schools serving black students, and by policies such as school fees. The paper concludes with some thoughts on the future outlook. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.) [This paper was prepared for the special issue of "International Journal of Educational Development (IJED)" on "Education Policy and Practice in Post-Apartheid South Africa--Ten Years of Democratic Change." The ideas in this paper are developed more fully in the book, "Elusive Equity: Education Reform in Post-Apartheid South Africa" (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press: 2004)].

Within the context of the school finance literature, the concepts of equity and adequacy raise a number of complex definitional and pragmatic issues. The purpose of this paper is to clarify those issues and to use those concepts to evaluate the recent policy proposal called Weighted Student Funding (WSF). Though WSF contains some equity-enhancing elements, it is likely to fall short of its equity goals because the weights are likely to be inappropriate and the approach fails to take full account of the concentrations of challenging-to-educate students and their effects on the distribution of teachers. In addition, the WSF proposal can be faulted for paying no attention to adequacy, potentially stigmatizing individual students, and placing so much focus on individual schools. A more complete evaluation of WSF would require a broader institutional perspective that extends beyond the equity and adequacy considerations of this article. (Contains 8 footnotes.)

This paper analyzes approaches to facilitating school-university transition in South Africa and explores the theories underlying this process. A review of the literature and a case study of the process at the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) show what is happening to the school-university transition at the end of apartheid. UPE has taken a broadly based approach to facilitating this transition, focusing its efforts on what can be achieved on campus in preference to extending its limited resources to the school context. There is a privately sponsored Saturday morning program designed to prepare disadvantaged students for the university. Several modules have been developed to help students adjust to the university, notably "English for Academic Purposes" modules for those for whom English is a first or second language. Students in South Africa clearly need support in their transition from school to the university, but most support is given on campus shortly before and just after initial registration, with little effort made, for financial and capacity reasons, to prepare students before they reach the university. There is little chance that the selection of the secondary school system described as disadvantaged will emerge from its difficulties in the next few years. This suggests that institutions of higher education will need to provide the best possible context for incoming students. (Contains 65 references.) (SLD)

A multinational, multidisciplinary team examined the impact of globalization on education, training, and small and medium sized enterprise development in Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. The study focused on the following issues: developing a learner-led competitiveness approach; building learning enterprises; education for microenterprises and macroeconomic growth; and training for self-employment and competitiveness. The study documented the importance of learning-led competitiveness and identified obstacles to development of learning enterprises in all three countries. The following are among the 12 recommendations offered to national governments and international agencies with development concerns: (1) insert learning-led competitiveness into development debates; (2) understand the implications of globalization better; (3) address the range of barriers to development of learning enterprises; (4) consider interenterprise linkages and the role of learning therein; (5) place learning-led competitiveness at the heart of small enterprise development policy; (6) broaden the universal primary education vision; (7) construct a curriculum for competitiveness; (8) improve public training's ability to support competitive self-employment; (9) empower training providers to be more market responsive; and (10) emphasize skills transfer from large to small firms. (The bibliography lists 139 references. Brief profiles and addresses of the research team members and a list of project papers are appended.) (MN)

This paper presents a model for obtaining and organizing managment information for decision making in university planning, developed by the Bureau for Management Information of the University of South Africa. The model identifies the fundamental entities of the university as environment, finance, physical facilities, assets, personnel, and students. The model proposes a computerized decision support system which analyzes the mathematical relationships between different components of the system. The support system's data flow plan is presented as a plan that can be constructed independently within each entity, that generates output that can be used by another model as input, and that enables the measurement of variables in one submodel compared to another. The model emphasizes integrated scenario construction, in which a single run can potentially produce outputs of enrollment projections and projections of the needs for personnel, physical facilities, and finances. The paper describes the hardware and software requirements; the structure of files in the system; and the application of the model to enrollment, personnel planning, physical planning, long-term physical planning, and subsidy planning. A final section treats the establishment and use of efficiency measurements. Included are 15 figures and 6 references. (JB)

"Can You Hear Me? The Right of Young Children to Participate in Decisions Affecting Them" emphasises that participation enhances children's self-esteem and confidence, promotes their overall capacities, produces better outcomes, strengthens understanding of and commitment to democratic processes and protects children more effectively. Participation provides the opportunity for developing a sense of autonomy, independence, heightened social competence and resilience. The benefits are therefore significant, and adults with both direct and indirect responsibility for children need to acquire a greater humility in recognising that they have a great deal to learn from children. But the case for listening to young children goes beyond the beneficial outcomes. It is also a matter of social injustice and human rights. All people, however young, are entitled to be participants in their own lives, to influence what happens to them, to be involved in creating their own environments, to exercise choices and to have their views respected and valued. (Contains 4 footnotes.)

This paper describes the effects of apartheid on higher education in South Africa and formulates strategies to restructure post-apartheid higher education for the greatest educational development for all South Africans. It explains that South Africa's apartheid system deliberately structured education to provide a well-funded system for whites at direct expense to other groups. These inequalities were further entrenched through a "Christian National Education" ideology which permeated curriculum and the cultures of learning. Inequalities have produced various degrees of educational disadvantage. Many institutions currently want to enroll more and more black students but in the process confront the consequences of apartheid education and so experience a tension between growth and diversity and maintaining quality education. The first step in response is to develop a strategy for educational development priorities for institutions that classifies institutions between two polar types. Classification then allows institutions to select appropriate educational development initiatives which usually take the form of either academic support for students or academic development for faculty. A series of core access initiatives, educational effectiveness approaches, and resource deployment strategies are listed and described. (Contains 22 references.) (JB)

South Africa's private higher education system is an illustration of the worldwide surge in commercial private higher education. Important features in the South African case epitomize worldwide growth or show it in stark form. At the core of the starkness is the for-profit nature of South African private higher education. For-profit logic plays out in nearly all matters key to the country's private higher education, including missions, actors' roles within and beyond the higher education institutions, ties to the job market, and relationships with public entities. In contrast, private higher education outside South Africa is usually nonprofit; more aptly states, however, it is nonprofit in name and legal status but often for-profit in much form and behavior. For its profits and practicality thrust, South Africa presents an intriguing case through which to explore the nature of the world's expanding commercial private higher education. Tendencies in South Africa lead to or support significant hypotheses about this form of education, particularly in its for-profit manifestation. In turn, such hypotheses, along with data on other countries (especially the United States) help guide empirical exploration of the South African case. (Contains 53 endnotes.) (Author/SLD)

This publication is a handbook of Canadian nongovernmental, nonprofit organizations (NGOs) working for change and the establishment of democracy in South Africa. It is offered as a companion to an earlier handbook on similar European NGOs. In particular, this publication illuminates the framework in which NGOs operate; clarifies appropriate sources of financial, technical, and informational assistance for sustainable development programs; and draws lessons from the development aid and education policies described. The handbook was developed during one week through a series of interviews in Canada of 25 organizations (or individuals) identified as relevant to the preparation of the handbook. An introduction and overview are followed by sections describing organizations, programs and agencies under the categories: (1) Canadian government corporations; (2) NGO networks and coalitions; (3) crown corporations; (4) nongovernmental institutions; (5) development (and development education) agencies; (6) trade union-related organizations; (7) church agencies; (8) support organizations raising money for South African causes; (9) solidarity groups; and (10) research, information, and documentation centers. A subject index and a glossary of abbreviations are included. (JB)

This paper offers a broad look at accreditation and quality assurance in higher education and how these issues are addressed around the world. Section 1 is an overview of accreditation and addresses the aims and objectives of accreditation, standards, accreditation bodies, stages of the accreditation process, the quality of that process, the role of government in the accreditation process, some critical points of view concerning the process, and present accreditation trends. Section 2 looks at accreditation and quality assurance through brief national case studies. The nations represented are France, Germany, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United States, China, India, Hong Kong, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Australia. This section closes with a section comparing accreditation and quality assurance in various regions. Section 3 takes a closer and more detailed look at the accreditation process in Romania, particularly in light of the recent political and educational changes in this nation and the fairly recent decision to introduce accreditation of institutions of higher education. This examination covers accreditation principles and objectives, standards for initial and subsequent accreditation, application rules, structure of the accreditation committee and its functions, and provisions for financing accreditation. Appendixes contain institutional evaluation standards and a glossary. (Contains 27 references.) (JB)

This handbook explores Europe's nonprofit nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that have been working for change in South Africa and now are engaged, or planning to engage in the economic, social, and human resource development of a democratic South Africa. The purposes of the document are to: (1) illuminate for both donor agencies and groups seeking support the complex framework in which the NGOs operate; (2) clarify sources of financial, technical, and informational assistance for sustainable development programs in South Africa; and (3) draw lessons from development policies and experiences taken from the narrative. After an introduction, the report presents the institutional framework, describing both the intergovernmental organizations and the international nongovernmental networks of which it consists. This is followed by the core section of the document, a country-by-country description of European NGOs working with or for South Africa, arranged alphabetically by country from Belgium through the United Kingdom. A concluding section highlights recurring development issues and implications. An attached glossary provides a list of abbreviations for the NGOs discussed in the text. (LBG)

A study reviewed nonformal education provided by community organizations, particularly that for women, in the Western Cape (South Africa). It was set against a background of the struggle against apartheid and women's special needs and interests. The interview schedule included open-ended and structured questions and was designed to elicit details on the structure of organizations, the training they provided, the problems faced by the interviewees and recommendations for the future. Findings indicated that organizations varied in size, number of people reached, and number of paid or volunteer workers. Aims of the organizations were broad and of a general nature. The multifaceted nature of the goals of many organizations could prove inefficient in the long-run. Funding was one of the most crucial problems. The organizations did not address issues of sexism and racism within themselves. Survival strategies training included primary health care directed almost exclusively at women and life skills training directed toward men and women alike. Training for income-generating work appeared to be most successful with women. Training for unemployed workers tended to be geared toward men. Although women had been included in political training, issues relevant to their subordination had not been addressed. The effectiveness of trainer training carried out by women who had learned to train through experience and expediency had not been assessed. (Appendixes contain a list of organizations surveyed and the interview schedule. Contains 55 references.) (YLB)

In the 1980s, the Border Early Learning Center (BELC) was established to provide support and training for preschools and communities in South Africa. This report describes the rationale and process of an evaluation of preschools associated with the BELC. (The data and conclusions of the evaluation are not included in this report.) A questionnaire was designed and translated into Xhosa, and was then completed by BELC trainers and preschool teachers. Later, evaluators made field visits to the preschools. In these visits, an ethnographic approach to observation was used. This approach allowed the observers to be informed by the total environment, rather than merely by the answers to questions they posed from their own conceptual frameworks. Conflicts between educational ideals and reality were evident in large student-teacher ratios, and in ambivalence between school and community ideals. The evaluation was carried out in the context of BELC's motivation to provide the best possible education for the maximum number of children. The key variable for survival of a school was the quality of the teacher. The preschool evaluation form is appended. (BC)

In May 1990 the Minister of National Education announced an Education Renewal Strategy (ERS) for education in South Africa, developed in conjunction with other governmental departments, to seek short- and medium-term managerial solutions for some of the nation's most pressing educational needs. The ERS advances five major policy recommendations for a future education model: (1) race should not be a factor and equal opportunity should be assured; (2) national unity should be promoted while respect for diversity is ensured; (3) a balance between national regulation and local autonomy should be maintained; (4) the future constitution of South Africa should allow for a decentralized education system unified at the national level, with accountability at both levels; and (5) responsibility for the new model should be shared by national and local government, teacher organizations, parent groups, and other interested parties. In the specific area of early childhood educare, the ERS recommends that distance education should be encouraged through the funding of suitable preschool television and radio programs and the development of instructional video programs to train adults to assist in the early childhood learning environment. It also recommends that a bridge program be developed for children not yet ready for the first year of schooling. (MDM)

A project to promote role change for department heads in South African universities is discussed. Unique characteristics of universities in Southern Africa are also identified, including the fact that department heads have only limited decentralized authority over issues such as admission, personnel policy, and finances. Project goals were as follows: to encourage and support a group of department heads in analyzing and restructuring their posts as department heads at the University of Orange Free State (UOFS), to encourage and support this group of department heads to decide on and participate in a structured development program, and to determine the results of such an effort. Forty-three department heads participated in the 3-year project. Information is provided on the scope of the investigation, which included questionnaire administration and interviews, as well as problems that occurred during the implementation of the project. Appended materials include a chart of a conceptual model for operational management on the departmental level at UOFS, and an outline of modules for developing leadership and management skills of department heads. (SW)

This working paper provides information on 29 U.S. support organizations raising money for South African causes. Usually provided for each organization are a mission statement; a description of program areas and specific activities; and names of directors, trustees, and contacts. The organizations listed are: the Africa Fund; the African Arts Fund, Inc.; the Bishop Desmond Tutu Southern African Refugee Scholarship; Cape of Good Hope Foundation; Committee for Health in Southern Africa; Emergency Appeal for South African Families; Friends of the Institute for a Democratic Alternative for South Africa, Inc.; Friends of SOS Children's Villages, Inc.; the Fund for Education in South Africa; Fund for a Free South Africa; Get Ahead Foundation/USA; Grassroots International; International Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa; Khotso: The South African Exile Fund; Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law South Africa Project; Medical Education for South African Blacks; Open Society Scholars Fund; Operation Hunger, Inc.; St. Barnabas College Fund, Inc.; South African Townships Health Fund; Southern Africa Education Fund; Southern Africa Legal Services and Legal Education Project, Inc.; Southern African Advanced Education and Training Project; Southern African Freedom Through Education Foundation; Tutu Foundation for Development and Relief in Southern Africa; the United States-South Africa Leader Exchange Program; United States-Zululand Education Foundation Inc.; University of Cape Town Fund, Inc.; and the Urban Foundation (USA) Inc. (SM)

A working paper on U.S. church-related funding for (or sponsorship of) South African programs is presented to guide support-seeking organizations in South Africa to appropriate resources and to inform interested parties outside South Africa about potential resources and ways in which they might cooperate or assist. Information is provided in two sections as follows: (1) U.S. church-related projects by area of program initiative (adult education, advocacy, agriculture, bursaries, business development, church leader development, community development, crisis intervention, detainee assistance, education in the United States about South Africa, emergency relief, general support, health, leadership development, legal representation/education, materials development, nutrition, preschools, private nonracial schools, race relations, refugee education/assistance, research, external scholarships, seminars/conferences, teacher training, technical/vocational training, theological education, and youth programs); and (2) participants in the survey (e.g., Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission, African Methodist Church, African Methodist Episcopal Church, American Baptists Churches USA, Building a New South Africa, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Theological Union, Christian Church in the USA and Canada, Church of the Intercession, Church World Service, Diocese of New York of the Episcopal Church, Episcopal Church in the USA, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, National Council of Churches, Riverside Church, Salesian Missions, and Trinity Grants Program). (SM)

In 1979 the Institute of International Education (IIE), a nonprofit organization that works on education programs in 145 countries and with U.S. colleges and universities, began a scholarship program for black South Africans wanting to study in the United States. The models workshop, held at the offices of the IIE in 1987, was made possible by the cooperation of IIE and U.S. colleges and universities on the South African Education Program (SAEP). Five professionals representing different program models addressed issues related to the origins and implementations of their programs and associated problems. Ten respondents also participated. Two black South Africans involved in educational issues presented comments from the South African perspective on the issues raised. The workshop explored the roles that U.S. colleges and universities play in offering educational opportunities to black South Africans. It looked at the many programs currently operating to see what works and what does not work. This report covers the following: developing links; problems in launching or implementing programs; reactions on U.S. campuses; consultation; and advice to others planning programs. Each section looks at correspondence/on site, career development, faculty fellowship, academic exchange, math/science teaching, discussion, and the South Africa perspective. An information request is included so readers may make suggestions on additions. (SM)

U.S.-related corporate trusts that are currently funding (or planning to fund) projects to promote change in South Africa are reviewed to guide support-seeking organizations in South Africa to appropriate sources of funds and to encourage donors to share information. Each write-up offers basic information on the trust's mission, objectives, board of trustees, and program areas. Two sections cover the following types of trusts: (1) operating trusts or foundations, e.g., the Equal Opportunity Foundation, Ford Motor Company-sponsored community trusts (Trust for Educational Advancement in South Africa, Algoa Bay Charitable Trust, and Pretoria Development Trust), Hexagon Trust, Human Resources Trust, IBM South Africa Projects Fund, Medtronic Africa Fund, Mobil Foundation, Music Shareholder Trust, and South African GE Educational Trust; and (2) examples of other trust-related mechanisms, e.g., a foreign company's trust (Volkswagon); an emplyees' trust (Delta Motor Corporation); and an evolving trust (Control Data Corporation). (SM)

Papers from the proceedings of the 14th Annual Conference of the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society was submitted in two volumes. Volume 1 contains papers submitted at the conference held in Sofia, Bulgaria, June 14-17, 2016. Volume 2 contains papers submitted at the 4th International Partner Conference of the International Research Centre (IRC) "Scientific Cooperation," Rostov-on-Don, Russia. The overall conference theme was "Education Provision to Every One: Comparing Perspectives from Around the World" and included six thematic sections: (1) Comparative Education & History of Education; (2) Pre-service and In-service Teacher Training & Learning and Teaching Styles; (3) Education Policy, Reforms and School Leadership; (4) Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Social Inclusion; (5) Law and Education: Legislation and Inclusive Education, Child Protection & Human Rights Education; and (6) Research Education: Developing Globally Competent Researchers for International and Interdisciplinary Research. The book contains a Preface: "Bulgarian Comparative Education Society: 25 Years of Being International" (Nikolay Popov); an Introduction: "Education Provision to Everyone: Comparing Perspectives from Around the World" (Lynette Jacobs) and papers divided into the respective thematic sections. Part 1: "Comparative Education & History of Education": (1) Jullien: Founding Father of Comparative and International Education Still Pointing the Way (Charl Wolhuter); (2) Presentation of Marc-Antoine Jullien's Work in Bulgarian Comparative Education Textbooks (Teodora Genova & Nikolay Popov); (3) "Teach Your Children Well": Arguing in Favor of Pedagogically Justifiable Hospitality Education (Ferdinand J. Potgieter); (4) Theory for Explaining and Comparing the Dynamics of Education in Transitional Processes (Johannes L. van der Walt); (5) Nordic Internationalists' Contribution to the Field of Comparative and International Education (Teodora Genova); (6) International Research Partners: The Challenges of Developing an Equitable Partnership between Universities in the Global North and South (Karen L. Biraimah); (7) Providing Books to Rural Schools through Mobile Libraries (Lynette Jacobs, Ernst Stals & Lieve Leroy); (8) South African Curriculum Reform: Education for Active Citizenship (Juliana Smith & Agnetha Arendse); (9) Universities Response to Oil and Gas Industry Demands in South Texas (USA) and Tamaulipas (Mexico) (Marco Aurelio Navarro); (10) Goals That Melt Away. Higher Education Provision in Mexico (Marco Aurelio Navarro & Ruth Roux); (11) How the Issue of Unemployment and the Unemployed Is Treated in Adult Education Literature within Polish and U.S. Contexts (Marzanna Pogorzelska & Susan Yelich Biniecki); (12) Contribuciones de un Modelo Multiniveles para el Análisis Comparado de Impactos de Políticas Educativas en la Educación Superior (Mirian Inés Capelari) [title and paper are provided in Spanish, abstract in English]; and (13) Internationalization, Globalization and Relationship Networks as an Epistemological Framework Based on Comparative Studies in Education (Amelia Molina García & José Luis Horacio Andrade Lara). Part 2: "Pre-service and In-service Teacher Training & Learning and Teaching Styles": (14) The Goals and Conditions of Qualitative Collaboration between Elementary Schools and Community -- A Challenge for the Professional Development (Jana Kalin & Barbara Šteh); (15) South African Heads of Department on Their Role in Teacher Development: Unexpected Patterns in an Unequal System (André du Plessis); (16) Do Teachers, Students and Parents Agree about the Top Five Good Teacher's Characteristics? (Marlena Plavšic & Marina Dikovic); and (17) Personality Traits and Learning Styles of Secondary School Students in Serbia (Gordana Djigic, Snežana Stojiljkovic & Andrijana Markovic). Part 3: "Education Policy, Reforms & School Leadership": (18) Routes into Teaching: Does Variety Aid Recruitment or Merely Cause Confusion? A Study of Three Different Programmes for Teacher Training in England (Gillian Hilton); (19) The Status of Teaching as a Profession in South Africa (Corene de Wet); (20) Initial and Continuing Professional Development of Adult Educators from an Educational - Policy Perspective: Rethinking from Croatia (Renata Cepic & Marijeta Mašic); (21) Educational Reform from the Perspective of the Student (Claudio-Rafael Vasquez-Martinez, Felipe Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Jose-Gerardo Cardona-Toro, MaríaGuadalupe Díaz-Renteria, Maria-Ines Alvarez, Hector Rendon, Isabel Valero, Maria Morfin, Miguel Alvarez); (22) Leadership and Context Connectivity: Merging Two Forces for Sustainable School Improvement (Nylon Ramodikoe Marishane); (23) Approaches to In-servicing Training of Teachers in Primary Schools in South Africa (Vimbi P. Mahlangu); (24) Social Justice and Capacity for Self-development in Educational Systems in European Union (Bo-Ruey Huang); (25) Social Justice and Capacity for Self-Development in Educational System in Japan (Yu-Fei Liu); and (26) Emotions in Education Generated by Migration (Graciela Amira Medecigo Shej). Part 4: "Higher Education, Lifelong Learning & Social Inclusion": (27) Ambivalent Community: International African Students in Residence at a South African University (Everard Weber An); (28) Internationalization of Higher Education Institutions in Latvia and Turkey: Its Management and Development during the Last Decade (Sibel Burçer & Ilze Kangro); (29) Lifelong Learning: Capabilities and Aspirations (Petya Ilieva-Trichkova); (30) Where Have All the Teachers Gone: A Case Study in Transitioning (Amanda S. Potgieter); (31) An Overview of Engineering Courses in Brazil: Actual Challenges (Alberto G. Canen, Iara Tammela & Diogo Cevolani Camatta); (32) Multiculturalism and Peace Studies for Education Provision in Time of Diverse Democracies (Rejane P. Costa & Ana Ivenicki); (33) Social Inclusion of Foreigners in Poland (Ewa Sowa-Behtane); (34) An Autistic Child Would Like to Say "Hello" (Maria Dishkova); (35) Research Approaches for Higher Education Students: A Personal Experience (Momodou M Willan); (36) Social Networks Use, Loneliness and Academic Performance among University Students (Gordana Stankovska, Slagana Angelkovska & Svetlana Pandiloska Grncarovska); and (37) The Personal Characteristics Predictors of Academic Success (Slagana Angelkoska, Gordana Stankovska & Dimitar Dimitrovski). Part 5: "Law and Education: Legislation and Inclusive Education, Child Protection & Human Rights Education": (38) An Exploration of the Wider Costs of the Decision by the Rivers State Government in Nigeria to Revoke International Students' Scholarships (Elizabeth Achinewhu-Nworgu & Queen Chioma Nworgu); (39) Strategies for Improving the Employability Skills and Life Chances of Youths in Nigeria (Elizabeth Achinewhu-Nworgu, Steve Azaiki, Shade Babalola & Chinuru Achinewhu); (40) Examining the Role, Values, and Legal Policy Issues Facing Public Library Resources in Supporting Students to Achieve Academic Success (Elizabeth Achinewhu-Nworgu, Steve Azaiki & Queen Chioma Nworgu); (41) Peer Exclusion at Physical Education (Gorazde Sotosek); (42) Exclusion and Education in South Africa: An Education Law Perspective of Emerging Alternative Understandings of Exclusion (Johan Beckmann); and (43) Educational and Social Inclusion of Handicapped Children. Polish Experiences (Anna Czyz). Part 6: "Research Education: Developing Globally Competent Researchers for International and Interdisciplinary Research": (44) Observations about Research Methodology during 15 Years of Presenting Capacity-Building Seminars (Johannes L. van der Walt); and (45) Using a Play-Based Methodology in Qualitative Research: A Case of Using Social Board to Examine School Climate (Anna Mankowska). Following the presentation of the complete conference papers, the following abstracts are provided: (1) Project-Based Learning in Polish-American Comparative Perspective (Marzanna Pogorzelska); (2) Teaching and Researching Intervention and Facilitation in a Process of Self-reflection: Scrutinity of an Action Research Process (Juliana Smith); (3) Investigating Perceptions of Male Students in Early Childhood Education Program on Learning Experiences (Ayse Duran); (4) Teacher Professional Development and Student Achievement in Turkey: Evidence from TIMSS 2011 (Emine Gumus & Mehmet Sukru Bellibas); (5) The Usage of CBT and Ayeka Approach at the Kedma School (Yehuda Bar Shalom & Amira Bar Shalom); (6) Factors Affecting Turkish Teachers' Use of ICT for Teaching: Evidence from ICILS 2013 (Mehmet Sukru Bellibas & Sedat Gumus); (7) Application of Big Data Predictive Analytics in Higher Education (James Ogunleye); (8) The Pursuit of Excellence in Malaysian Higher Education: Consequences for the Academic Workplace (David Chapman, Sigrid Hutcheson, Chang Da Wan, Molly Lee, Ann Austin, Ahmad Nurulazam); (9) Challenging the Value and Missions of Higher Education: New Forms of Philanthropy and Giving (Pepka Boyadjieva & Petya Ilieva-Trichkova); (10) The Effects of Major-changing between Undergraduates and Postgraduates on the Major Development of Postgraduates (Jinmin Yu & Hong Zhu); (11) Spotlight on Canadian Research Education: Access of Doctoral Students to Research Assistantships (Ewelina Kinga Niemczyk); (12) Regulation or Freedom? Considering the Role of the Law in Study Supervision (J. P. Rossouw & M. C. Rossouw); (13) The Subjectivity-Objectivity Battle in Research (Gertrude Shotte); and (14) Interdisciplinary Approach to Teaching Chemistry: Electrochemical Biosensors Case Study (Margarita Stoytcheva & Roumen Zlatev). A Name Index is included. (Individual papers contain references.) [For Volume 2, "Education Provision to Every One: Comparing Perspectives from around the World. BCES Conference Books, Volume 14, Number 2" see ED568089.]