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Social-emotional skills are crucial for preschool children's mental health and later school success. Most school-based SEL programs originate in the United States, reflecting a robust interest in SEL curricula from preschool through secondary school. While EU Member States are increasingly integrating social and emotional skills programs into school curricula, there is a lack of uniform terminologies, frameworks, and assessment criteria, necessitating the introduction of standardized practices. This study aims to offer an overview of US and European preschool SEL programs, utilizing content analysis to showcase the diversity of these programs. The analysis focuses on programs from the "EU-Self Programs for Social and Emotional Skills Development for Early and Preschool Children Applied in European Countries" by Koltcheva et al. (2022), including impact evaluations of nine programs in total. The study analysed the programs in relation to goals and outcomes, and findings reveal that there are no remarkable differences between US and European preschool SEL programs, although certain trends highlight distinctions among programs of different origins. The study will be useful for practitioners who are interested in introducing a preschool SEL program in their institution.

This paper examines how public education can ensure equity and diversity by clarifying the "democratic aspects" that can be captured through school-community collaborative activities in Japan and the U.S. As a result of comparison and analysis, it is indicated that in both Japan and the U.S., these activities are conducted in the context of streamlining educational administration. In addition, the participation in school management of diverse people such as local residents, parents, and children is promoted in order to grasp their needs and achieve deliberation on an equal footing. In contrast to Japan, however, these activities in the U.S. put importance on providing health and educational services to disadvantaged families and children. Furthermore, they aim to change not only schools but also communities. Therefore, this paper suggests that "democratic aspects" encompassed by collaborative activities have multiple layers: (1) "compensatory-type" (status-quo satisfaction -oriented democratic aspects), (2) "participatory-type" (deliberation-oriented democratic aspects), and (3) "transformative-type" (status-quo change-oriented democratic aspects). In order to guarantee equity of education that ensures fairness and inclusion to all children, this paper clarifies the importance of having both activities that distribute educational and welfare services on a curve to disadvantaged children and families (compensatory-type) and activities that involve children themselves in the practice, leading to the transformation and creation of the world (participatory and transformative type). The types of activities described above do not necessarily set the transformative-type as the ultimate goal. The three types interact together and pave the way toward a democratic and equitable education that is open to all and respects the voices of minorities.

The main purpose of this research is to comparatively examine the views of social studies teacher candidates in Turkey and the USA towards war and peace, and to reveal the similarities and differences. In parallel with the increasing violence and wars in the world, literacy of peace has become a concept that attracts more and more attention. Each country includes war and peace issues in its curriculum in different ways. Literacy of peace has become one of the basic elements of citizenship education in democratic societies. Social studies is one of the most powerful components of citizenship education. In the social studies course, while trying to raise patriotic individuals by teaching about the wars of the past, they are also trying to raise democratic citizens who have gained peace awareness. The research is a descriptive study in which quantitative and qualitative research methods are used together. As a quantitative data collection tool, The Attitude Inventory Regarding Peace and War developed by Bizumic et al., was used. Moral dilemma stories were used as a qualitative data collection tool. Qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques were applied together to transform the obtained data sets into findings. Working group of the research is 60 teacher candidates in total, 30+30 each studying at state universities in Türkiye and the USA. Descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the data. A comparative analysis of participants' perspectives on war and peace can give us an idea about how war and peace can be included in the teaching process. According to the results of the research, it was seen that the attitudes towards peace of the participants from both countries were high and when compared, the attitudes of the participants from the USA towards peace were higher than the participants from Turkey. The findings of the qualitative analysis also support this conclusion.

There is strong evidence from research conducted in the United States that fraction magnitude understanding supports mathematics achievement. Unfortunately, there has been little research that examines if this relation is present across educational contexts with different approaches to teaching fractions. The current study compared fourth and sixth grade students from two countries which differ in their approach to teaching fractions: Australia and the United States. We gathered data on fraction and decimal magnitude understanding, proportional reasoning, and a standardized mathematics achievement test on whole number computation. Across both countries, reasoning about rational magnitude (either fraction or decimal) was predictive of whole number computation, supporting the central role of rational number learning. However, the precise relation varied, indicating that cross-national differences in rational number instruction can influence the nature of the relation between understanding fraction and decimal magnitude and mathematics achievement. The relation between proportional reasoning and whole number computation was fully mediated by rational magnitude understanding, suggesting that a key mechanism for how reasoning about rational magnitude supports mathematics achievement: proportional reasoning supports the development of an accurate spatial representation of magnitude that can be flexibly and proportionally scaled, which in turn supports children's mathematics learning. Together, these findings support using measurement models and spatial scaling strategies when teaching fractions and decimals.

Supervision is an essential part of school counsellor education training, particularly during internship and practicum experiences, as it plays a crucial role in assisting counsellor trainees in adapting to their new roles and identities. While essential to the profession, supervision literature lacks comparison studies across countries, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of whether, and to what extent, supervision is being effectively practised cross-nationally. In the current study, authors utilized a multisite analytic approach as a form of case study method to investigate similarities and differences in counsellor educators' school counselling supervision practices in the US and Türkiye. The study sample included a total of four counsellor education programmes, consisting of two programmes from each country. The results indicated that while counsellor educators in the US pay more attention to crisis management, suicide assessment, feedback acceptance, multicultural issues, school counsellor self-care, and mindfulness, their counterparts in Türkiye focus on creating counselling goals, counselling micro-skills, theories, and techniques. The results also provided further support for an independent counsellor education accreditation body that could oversee the supervision practices across counsellor education programmes in Türkiye for a united counsellor training, supervision, and professional counsellor identity.

In an era of test-based accountability, school inspections can offer a more nuanced understanding of why schools fail. Yet, we have limited knowledge of how inspectors arrive at their decisions on school quality. Analyzing inspectors' decision-making can reveal the underlying views regarding school accountability and open opportunities for school improvement. We use a comparative case study of contrasting inspection systems in the United States, the Netherlands, and Argentina. Based on in-depth interviews with inspectors, our findings reveal that inspectors' sensemaking and decisions are strongly influenced by local culture, professional traditions, and views on school accountability. These contrasting processes illustrate trade-offs between rigid and flexible approaches to school inspection that have consequences for school improvement.

While Instrumental Music Education (IME) is offered to students in most developed countries, its rationale and implementation differ significantly due to the sociocultural values and expectations of each society, which tend to remain implicit within educational policies. In this article, we argue that each society should be fully aware of the characteristics of their IME models, which requires self-reflection and careful examination of alternative models. To facilitate this process, we propose a framework to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of IME models. The field of comparative education provides strategies to analyze similarities and differences in policies around the world. With the goal of identifying the various dimensions involved in IME models, we provide a detailed analysis of three contrasting cases: Spain, the United States of America, and Singapore. The variables considered are educational philosophy, presence of IME within schools, curriculum and assessment, and teacher education. Based on a documentary analysis, these cases lead to the identification of four analytic dimensions: Accessibility, Value attributed to IME, Professionalization and Specialization, and Teacher's Qualification and Requirements. We encourage policymakers around the world to utilize this four-dimension framework to gain awareness of the role IME plays in their respective countries.

In today's rapidly evolving global economy, it is essential to equip young learners with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in the workforce and contribute to economic development. Education is a vital driver of human capital and development in countries, and the effectiveness of any educational system depends heavily on its curriculum. This article studies the pivotal role of the curriculum in shaping education and its contribution to economic development. We examined four components (objectives, content, teaching-learning methods, and evaluation) of secondary school curricula in G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, USA) and Iran to present a set of proposed concepts for the Iranian curriculum with a focus on economic features. A comparative strategy with four qualitative stages (description, interpretation, juxtaposition, comparison) was used. The proposed concepts are arranged in three layers: the first includes improvement of scientific skills; technical skills; and process skills. The second includes study of world history and geography, and other countries' languages and cultures. The third includes altruism for others, and health and environment. Our study serves as an introduction to the skills and abilities needed by Iranian students to compete in the real world. It also provides a concise outline of some of the essential competencies for tomorrow's society and workplaces.

The closing of schools world-wide in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a rapid and unexpected shift from predominantly in-person teaching to online teaching practices. As teacher educators in the field of educational technology, we wondered about the preparedness of teachers for making the transition to fully online environments. Through an internationally distributed survey consisting of predominantly open-ended questions, we captured teachers' perceptions of this transition. We aimed to inform our practice and that of other teacher educators about the strengths and weaknesses of professional development designed to develop teachers' digital competence. In this paper, we present data from Norwegian (n = 574) and US (n = 239) teachers related to their elaborations on readiness. We qualitatively examined data for evidence of extent of preparedness and alignment to the pedagogical, ethical, attitudinal, and technical dimensions of digital competence. Findings indicated themes related to extent of preparedness, trends in preparation, focus on digital tools, teacher agency without autonomy, collaboration/networks, and challenges for work and learning lives. Findings informed implications and recommendations for the professional development of teachers' digital competence at the teacher education, K-12 schools, and school policy/leadership levels.

Colleges are important providers of vocational education and training and in some countries they are the major provider. Although the international literature on colleges has grown considerably in the past two decades, it still consists primarily of qualitative descriptions of college sectors in different countries. Quantitative studies of differences in the activity mix of colleges in different countries could improve knowledge of international variation in the roles of colleges and provide a stronger foundation for study of the sources and consequences of variation in college roles. After reviewing different methodological frameworks for comparative analysis of college activity, the research reported here employs one of these frameworks to analyse differences in the activity mix of colleges in five countries. In addition to finding some noteworthy differences among the five countries, the paper also identified several problems of comparability of college data from different countries. The paper concludes that the development of internationally comparable data on colleges would require leadership by international organisations and agencies and is an undertaking well worth pursuing both for the benefits that it could bring to those whom colleges serve and for its contribution to the advancement of comparative study of vocational education and training.

Over the years, there have been various calls to increase and better represent astronomy in curricula. This is motivated by views within the astronomy and astronomy education communities that the awe, wonder, and interdisciplinary nature of astronomy has the potential to engage students in STEM across disciplines. Reviews of curricula have shown that astronomy topics are represented in most mandated curricula around the world and although there is a homogeneity of astronomy topics in most mandated curricula, this representation has its limitations. By using the Australian National Curriculum, the USA-based Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the Swedish National Curriculum as examples, this study unpacks ideas around "How much astronomy is enough?", the mismatches between astronomy topics in curricula and what constitutes astronomical literacy within the context of the Big Ideas in Astronomy document. The results identify that there is a significant gap at the galactic and extragalactic scales when considering the typical progression of astronomy topics when considering the conceptual, spatial, and temporal scales of the topics. Specifically, topics in curricula jump from tangible concepts within the student's immediate and Solar System spatial scales in primary school to cosmological spatial scales in upper high school, without reference to spatial and conceptual connecting topics at galactic scales. Potential sample curriculum statements drawn from the Big Ideas are presented as a suggested curriculum inclusion. This curricula gap is identified as a potential source of a similar gap in education research in these topics at these levels, which in turn perpetuates the problem by there being a lack of research-based evidence for inclusion in the curriculum.

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) aims to provide comparative data on 15-year-olds' academic performance and well-being. The purpose of the current study is to explore and compare the variables that predict the reading literacy and life satisfaction of U.S. and South Korean students. The random forest algorithm, which is a machine learning approach, was applied to PISA 2018 data (4,677 U.S. students and 6,650 South Korean students) to explore and select the key variables among 305 variables that predict reading literacy and life satisfaction. In each random forest analysis, one for the U.S. and another for South Korea, 23 variables were derived as key variables in students' reading literacy. In addition, 23 variables in the U.S. and 26 variables in South Korea were derived as important variables for students' life satisfaction. The multilevel analysis revealed that various student-, teacher- or school-related key variables derived from the random forest were statistically related to either U.S. and/or South Korean students' reading literacy and/or life satisfaction. The current study proposes to use a machine learning approach to examine international large-scale data for an international comparison. The implications of the current study and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Despite its importance in promoting student academic achievement and career development, writing pedagogy has received little emphasis in research and professional development efforts. The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions and practices of writing in the middle grades from a cross-cultural perspective. 16 middle-grade teachers from South Korea and one state within the United States were recruited for a semi-structured interview. Transcripts of the interview responses were analyzed, using a constant comparison method. The findings showed that teachers' instructional practices in writing were contextualized with their personal and professional knowledge and experiences. Country specific patterns were found in teacher perceptions of best practices in writing instruction while cross-cultural patterns were observed in the ways that teachers differentiated instruction for struggling writers and motivated them to write.

Middle school scholars periodically lament the lack of holistic implementation of the middle school concept (Alverson et al., 2021; Dickinson & Butler, 2001; Lounsbury, 2013; Schaefer et al., 2016). The results of a case study conducted in Alberta, Canada (Rheaume, 2018) are compared to a recent examination of the current status of middle schools in America (Alverson et al.) to illustrate common implementation gaps and challenges. Consideration of the role of middle level leadership in supporting the implementation of the middle school concept is followed by a proposed expansion of the Developmentally Responsive Middle Level Leadership (DRMLL) model (Brown et al., 2002).

Service learning (SL) in higher education has been developed in various forms, mainly in the US, with an emphasis on linking services and learning, universities and communities. Many people view higher education as a means to a career which, in turn, renders education a subject of private interest. Owing to this, SL is expected to encourage civic engagement, and the value of SL as a practice of public interest has been garnering attention. In Japan, SL is seen in some advanced SL programs as education for democracy. But what about the general trend? This study aims to identify the general characteristics of SL in Japanese higher education, rather than highlighting the characteristics of advanced cases. For this purpose, a comparative study between Japan and the US was conducted using syllabus data available on the Internet. The results were as follows. Compared to the US, in Japanese SL, students were more likely to be involved in volunteer activities, in which case they were expected to adapt to existing society as an individual citizen, separated from other students. Meanwhile, SL that did not include volunteer activities emphasized developing students' skills. In both cases, political interest was low and there was no mention of (re)constructing students' values and philosophies. The word "democracy" was almost completely absent from the SL syllabus in Japan. These results suggest two possibilities in different directions. One is that Japanese SL may have been reduced to a superficial teaching method used only for skill development and "not for democracy." The other is that Japanese SL teachers try to lead students toward democracy by equipping them with democratic skills that overlap with skills required in the workforce, without indicating that they are "for democracy." From the latter standpoint, especially for passive Japanese students, SL for democracy could only be based on a delicate and dangerous balance between public and private goods.

This essay compares and contrasts the educational movements of three nations--the United States, Mexico, and the Soviet Union--established according to Eurocentric cultural values. In each country, mass education was undertaken to help produce an assimilative national culture during formative periods characterized by instability. In two of these nations, the U.S. and Mexico, this foundation eventually required an accommodation to address multiculturalism. This latter-day perspective is designed to recognize, respect, and appreciate a variety of cultures. This essay examines the ways in which these two oppositional goals--monoculturalism and multiculturalism--have intersected in schools.

This paper examines how international education (IE), as an important tool of public diplomacy (PD) and soft power (SP), faces unique challenges as issues of national security (NS) become more prominent in this era of new geopolitics. It presents a model to understand the relationship between PD, SP and NS and then applies this model to a comparative study. The contrasting histories, approaches and perspectives of IE as it operates as a component of foreign policy and at the nexus of PD, SP and NS in both the U.S. and Canada are analysed. The paper concludes with three challenges faced by IE in the contemporary context: first, the diminishing role of the university as a distinct and valued non-state actor; second, the weakening of foreign policy as an outward looking, distinctly international investment; and third, the problem with choosing isolation over engagement as a strategy.

Globalization has changed the landscape of higher education. The purpose of this study is to enhance understanding of how higher education leaders are engaging emerging questions about successful leadership, particularly when it comes to international student populations in times of crisis. Guided by the Intercultural Leadership framework, this comparative case study illuminates how university presidents from eight different countries were informed in their perceptions of international students and how they acted to support this vulnerable population. The results of this analysis highlight practical implications for higher education leaders to utilize when navigating global crises while protecting international student populations.

This paper offers an analysis of key stakeholders' internationalization experiences in a selection of three leading universities in the United States and three in Turkey. We used phenomenological research methodology to understand the mechanisms behind internationalization in each setting, and a research design that allowed us to engage in a detailed analysis of the decisions made by some of the key university figures in each country. The findings will be useful for higher education institutions that seek to better understand the myriad ways that internationalization goals can become operationalized, and the impact of particular goals and strategies in two contrasting settings. By illustrating one way that internationalization as a broad trend becomes implemented in local contexts and filtered down for use in six distinct institutions, this paper adds a new intercultural perspective to the existing literature.

The 2019/2020 academic year brought historic opportunities for faculty to manage virtual exchanges (O'Dowd, 2021), yet limited research exists on how teachers develop their capacity within these programs. As educators collaborating on a transnational virtual exchange, we aim to investigate the process that teachers go through as they co-develop and collaborate in a transnational virtual exchange from our experiences and perceptions. We ask: To what extent do previous lived experiences mediate the process of teacher capacity building in a transnational virtual, collaborative exchange? This collaborative qualitative autoethnography case study explores our experiences as four instructors from the United States and Hong Kong, reflecting our experiences as they relate to teacher capacity building in transnational virtual exchange. The data suggests that previously lived international experiences assisted the instructors in capacity building within a virtual exchange and brought into question the role of cultural humility.

The present study aims to compare the geometry standards in U.S. Common Core State Standards of Mathematics (CCSSM) and Chinese Compulsory Education Mathematics Curriculum Standards (CMCS) through the lens of van Hiele levels. The study considered a standard unit as one or multiple learning expectation(s) and placed each learning expectation into van Hiele levels. By examining the van Hiele level distributions of the learning expectations and major topics, this study investigated how CCSSM and CMCS propose the students' development of geometric thoughts. The findings reveal different emphases in geometry learning expectations of CCSSM and CMCS. Specifically, (a) Geometry standards in CCSSM are more general, whereas geometry standards in CMCS are more specific; (b) CMCS shows a more consistent progression through grade bands than CCSSM; (c) CCSSM makes more connections between various aspects within a topic and across multiple topics than CMCS; (d) CCSSM highlights Dynamic Geometry Environments (DGEs), whereas CMCS underscores abstract and rigor at the upper level. Implications of this study and suggestions for future revisions for both standards are discussed.

The role universities play in advancing COVID-specific knowledge and long-term management of this global crisis is largely unknown. In this comparative perspective study, we document the ways in which members from universities in the US, New Zealand, Italy, South Korea, and China engage in activities to respond to the pandemic. We frame this study with consortium-style emergency management and continuity planning (Friedman et al., 2014; Mann, 2007) and apply the sensemaking knowledge management framework (Choo, 1998) to identify strategies that university members employ to generate new scientific knowledge on COVID-19. Our findings reveal that response to the pandemic varies by university stratification, specifically by size and research capacity. At the time of this study, we identified three distinct lenses by which university members position their leadership and research on COVID. Universities from China utilized a post-pandemic approach. Whereas universities in the US, Italy, New Zealand, and South Korea approach their COVID research activities using an evolving-pandemic anticipatory lens and focus on Synergistic Knowledge Production (SKP) on current and future pandemics by engaging in a range of collaborative and interdisciplinary research activities with members of regional universities. Findings also provide policy implications for university-led responses to global health challenges. [Note: The page range (146-160) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 146-161.]

A quality preschool education plays a key role in achieving its objectives. To benefit from this effect of preschool education in a positive way, countries should investigate education systems and the educational methods and practices of other countries so as to understand the problems of education and the factors affecting it. This brings about the need to examine the indicators in regard to processes and structural elements in preschool education institutions. This paper focuses on examining the quality of preschool education classes in Turkey and in the United States comparatively. Descriptive research method was used in the research. Data were collected with ECERS-R in each three classes selected with convenience sampling from three kindergartens in Turkey and three kindergartens in the US. Total score achieved in this instrument and individual scores for seven subscales were examined. In line with the data obtained in this study, the total score of the three classes in kindergartens in the US was found to be higher than those in Turkey. As for the subscales, the classes of the kindergartens in Turkey were found to have higher scores of Language-Reasoning and Program Structure which are two subscales of the instrument. The findings were discussed in the light of the related literature.

Curriculum resources such as textbooks and lesson guides communicate messages about the social relations between the teacher, students, artefacts, and the mathematics. Because of their implicit nature, these messages can be hard to surface and perhaps therefore are not frequently covered in curriculum resource analysis. Tackling this shortcoming, we examine mathematics lesson guides or the daily lesson descriptions written for elementary teachers. Drawing on multimodality and activity theory, we characterize the social relations messaged in the lesson guides in terms of two constructs: authority and distance. We present and illustrate an analytical approach to uncovering these messages in lesson guides from Sweden, USA, and Flanders. Our analytical approach enabled us to distinguish configurations of social relations that vary primarily across the three educational contexts, which strengthens our argument for viewing the configuration of social relations as a cultural script.

This paper discusses the findings of a research study that gathered and analyzed recruitment and retention strategies employed by 50 teacher education programs (TEPs) in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia to increase the number of Indigenous teachers. It discusses several recruitment and retention strategies that were found to be successful in this regard, highlighting the importance of facilitating access, eliminating financial barriers, and offering Indigenous-centric programs.

Developing textbooks of optimal quality is crucial for enriching the students' learning and understanding. This study examined fraction addition and subtraction problems in the U.S. and South Korean mathematics textbooks according to the types of denominators. In particular, we investigated Everyday Mathematics (EM) and South Korean mathematics (KM) textbooks revised in 2015 and developed an analytic framework encompassing horizontal and vertical dimensions to examine the learning opportunities presented to students by the textbooks. We assessed their topic sequence and frequency of fraction addition and subtraction contents with regard to the former and examined their contextual features, cognitive demands, and mathematical activities with regard to the latter. We observed that EM provided inadequate learning opportunities for fraction subtraction problems, representation problems, and high-order cognitive abilities. However, KM provided more even learning opportunities for fraction addition and subtraction problems, various contextual features, and high and low thinking skills. Moreover, we found that EM emphasized understanding and resolving activities, whereas KM underscored exploring and explaining activities. The findings of this study suggested updating fraction addition and subtraction contents in the U.S., South Korea, and other countries by considering horizontal and vertical dimensions.

Purpose: Taking the case of educational reform in French-speaking Belgium (the "Pact for Educational Excellence"), this article aims to describe the process of integrating evidence-based education (EBE) into an educational reform within a country where the influence of qualitative research is important. Design/Approach/Methods: A narrative case study was conducted to analyze and understand the stages of the ongoing educational reform process and the successive involvements of our research center in the work of this reform. Inspired by the paradigm of EBE, we initiated both the consultation processes intended to set the direction of educational decisions and programs. Findings: According to Slavin (2017, 2019), providing educator-friendly reviews, making available a broad range of proven education programs, and providing resources to help schools to implement proven programs are levers for implementing evidence-based reform within an educational system. This article shows that one of the three levers is fully met. For the other two, work being done on EBE in the U.S. and the UK in particular can save us time. Originality/Value: This article highlights concrete actions that will ensure the gradual establishment and acceptance by political and educational actors of an evidence-based reform.

Purpose: This review contrasts the U.S. and Chinese mainland in terms of educational technology programs' effects on mathematics achievement. The existing evaluation studies are assessed and compared, especially from the perspective of research quality. Moreover, this review finds out what intervention programs work in these two countries and classifies evidence levels of effective programs. Design/Approach/Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis method is used. Findings: The application of educational technology programs produced a better effect in Chinese mainland than in the U.S., however, the quantity and quality of evaluation studies is concerning in Chinese mainland. Since 2010, four programs in the U.S. and one program in Chinese mainland have qualified for strong evidence of effectiveness, which are worthy of receiving scale-up grants. Originality/Value: This is the first systematic review to contrast the U.S. and China in terms of educational technology programs' effects on mathematics achievement. Determining what works through high-quality experiments is probably the most important requirement for evidence-based reform in education. This review compares the developments of the U.S., a leader of the movement, with those of China, an undecided observer. The review may provide enlightenment for the undecided countries and regions.

Purpose: This article presents a definition and rationale for evidence-based reform in education, and a discussion of the current state of evidence-based research, focusing on China, the U.S., and the UK. Design/Approach/Methods: The article contrasts the state of educational research in the U.S., the UK, and China, world leaders in evidence-based reform. Findings: The article suggests ways in which Chinese, U.S., UK, and other scholars might improve the worldwide quality of evidence-based reform in education. One indicator of this partnership is an agreement among the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Nanjing Normal University, and Johns Hopkins University to work together on Chinese and English versions of the website Best Evidence in Brief and a collaboration between Johns Hopkins and the "ECNU Review of Education" at East China Normal University. Originality/Value: This article is the first to compare developments in evidence-based reform in education in China with parallel developments in the U.S. and UK Building understanding of current evidence-based policies should help all countries learn how evidence can play a greater role in education policy and benefit many students.

This article features a creative fabrication project assigned to participants in a short-term education abroad program at a Midwestern state university in the US. The Get-in-Touch assignment merged intercultural research and studio work to enrich and transform participants' travel experience in China. Several aesthetic stances (mimetic, formalistic, and contextualist) were adopted to interpret the three-dimensional projects documented with photocollages and stories in this manuscript. Travel--study provided a dynamic platform that allowed the four participants to manifest intercultural learning outcomes: making the dissimilar similar, making the unfamiliar familiar, making the familiar unfamiliar and making the similar dissimilar. This article further illuminates the aesthetic stances noted above through the work of four contemporary Chinese artists and offers an indirect glimpse into the art school curricula found in higher education in both cultures. The discussion highlights learned lessons of cultural humility.

This research aims to systematically compare the educational concepts between the U.S. and China, to answer a research question: what courses, based on the experience of developing fire services in both countries, should be included in firefighting higher education programs to increase knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)? The authors utilized the method of content analysis and applied the theoretical framework from emergency management to compare those curriculums from both countries into common contextual research criteria. Results of our analysis demonstrate that the two countries have similar expectations by which to develop core KSAs in their firefighting higher education programs.

The purpose of this article is to uncover what makes learning enjoyable for Generation Z college students (born 1995-2010) in the United States (U.S.) and Brazil. Qualitative data from 1,282 participants in the U.S. and 775 participants in Brazil were analyzed independently and for comparison using content analysis and thematic coding. The results of this study show both similarities and differences between these two populations. Both groups enjoy learning that is interesting, inspiring, relevant, and engaging. U.S. students enjoy knowledge acquisition, learning for societal impact, and having instructors who are competent and relatable. Brazil students, on the other hand, enjoy peer learning. While these results align with previous research findings on preferences for learning and cultural nuances, it is important to note that studies on Generation Z college students and learning are sparse. Thus, understanding this generational cohort in higher education is paramount for both informing and supporting individual pedagogical practices and shaping training initiatives on teaching and learning in higher education. In addition, given the impact of globalization on technology, commerce, entertainment, and information, uncovering the similarities in how young people from different cultures perceive learning may have global implications on research, training, and individual instruction in a more macro and universal way.

This empirical article examines the policies, perspectives, and practices of building and developing cross-border and transnational higher education (TNHE) programs, with special attention given to the international joint and dual degree programs in North America and Asia. Specifically, this paper reviews the historical, political, and social dimensions of two international collaborative academic degree programs between the United States and Mainland China using Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Sun Yat-set University (SYSU) as the case study. Findings suggest that IUPUI's most cited challenge with SYSU concerns alignment with general education requirements. On the other hand, SYSU's biggest challenge with IUPUI concerns language and cultural differences. This article offers five recommendations for teacher-scholars, policymakers, and advanced practitioners interested in developing, designing, and implementing dual degree programs during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for future research on and applications and practices for TNHE programs are discussed.

The two studies examined in this paper compare the different mathematical opportunities provided in preschool classrooms in China, Japan, and the United States, with an emphasis on mathematical-themed books in classroom libraries. Study one presents the results of an online survey to examining the content of preschool classroom libraries in China (N = 134), Japan (N = 168), and the United States (N = 291). Study two presents data obtained from semi-structured interviews of teachers in China (N = 8), Japan (N = 8), and the United States (N = 8). The interviews examined teacher perceptions of how they teach mathematics, the importance of teaching mathematics, and the use of the classroom library as a venue for mathematics. Study one results indicated that teachers from all three countries encourage classroom library use; however, teachers from China reported more mathematics storybooks than their Japanese or United States counterparts. Study two results indicated that teachers from all three countries viewed mathematics as important and provided various mathematics learning opportunities to children throughout the school day. Chinese teachers reported providing the most mathematics learning opportunities using whole group instruction, mathematics centers, and free play. Japanese teachers reported few whole group forms of instruction other than circle time but reported providing opportunities for using mathematics during free play and other embedded activities. United States teachers indicated that mathematics learning occurred using whole group instruction and mathematics centers.

Over the years, there has been a tremendous increase in enrollment in higher education as well as the cost of attendance. This article comparatively analyzes the higher education finance between the United States of America (U.S.A.) and Ghana, taking into consideration the goals of higher education, enrollment and expenditure, and the various sources of finance available to students in both countries. The source of education finance between both countries is examined through the lens of neoliberalism, which prioritizes capitalism, free trade, and market in public institutions, specifically higher education. While there are disparities in the financing of higher education in both countries, there is a similarity in the limited access to higher education and funding by students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.