Education, Policy, and Social Change: Experiences from Latin America

The purpose of this contributed volume is to examine the links among research, policy, and change in education in Latin America in the context of the relationships between the economy, politics, and the state in the 1980s. The case analyses will discuss the challenges these societies face in education in their progression towards the twenty-first century. In its various sections, the book addresses the following questions: How did education respond during the 1980s to the major sociopolitical and economic changes that affected these countries? How did the changes in the 1980s affect the relationships between education, society, and the state, and what lessons can be learned from the interaction between research and policy that may help in understanding the developmental role of education in the 1990s? And is educational research and policy helping to improve the social condition of minorities in Latin America? This volume will be of interest to scholars and policymakers in Latin American studies, educational research, education policy, and educational planning.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Education and Development in Latin America Education for Social Survival: Managing the Crisis of Development Bolivia: Society, State, and Education in Crisis Colombia: Educational Research and Policy--Problems of the 1990s, Issues for the 1990s Ecuador: Basic Quechuan Education Mexico: Modernization of Education and the Problems and Challenges of Basic Education Peru: Education for National Identity--Ethnicity and Andean Nationalism Venezuela: Education After Prosperity Education for Transition: From Dictatorship to Democracy Argentina: Education in Transition--From Dictatorship to Democracy Brazil: Conflicts between Public and Private Schooling and the Brazilian Constitutions Chile: The State and Higher Education Coping with Political Turmoil and Economic Downturn: Education for National Integration Costa Rica: Education and Politics--A Historical Perspcetive Cuba: Educational Research and Decision-making Nicaragua: Education and Social Transformation, 1979-91 Conclusion: Educational Research and Policy in the 1990s--A New decade of Challenges Bibliography Index

About the Author :
DANIEL A. MORALES-GOMEZ is Director, Social Policy Program with the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa, Canada. He co-authored (with Carlos Alberto Torres) The State, Corporatist Politics, and Educational Policy Making in Mexico (Praeger, 1990). CARLOS ALBERTO TORRES is Assistant Professor of Education at the University of California at Los Angeles. He is the author of The Politics of Nonformal Education in Latin America (Praeger, 1990) and The Church, Society and Hegemony (Praeger, 1992).

Review :
.,."effectively argues that education and educational policy are interrelated with political and socioeconomic factors. This point is well illustrated using historical studies from various countries. The need for new educational theory and practice throughout Latin America is well supported in the individual chapters and in the conclusion. This book builds a good foundation for understanding how educational theory in Latin America evolved into what it is now, and gives guidance to the further research and new theories that are necessary to face the challenges of the 1990s."-Compare .,."provides a good foundation for understanding how educational theory in Latin America has evolved into what it is now, and, collectively, the authors provide useful guidance research that is necessary to face the challenges of the 1990s."-Comparative Education ?...effectively argues that education and educational policy are interrelated with political and socioeconomic factors. This point is well illustrated using historical studies from various countries. The need for new educational theory and practice throughout Latin America is well supported in the individual chapters and in the conclusion. This book builds a good foundation for understanding how educational theory in Latin America evolved into what it is now, and gives guidance to the further research and new theories that are necessary to face the challenges of the 1990s.?-Compare ?...provides a good foundation for understanding how educational theory in Latin America has evolved into what it is now, and, collectively, the authors provide useful guidance research that is necessary to face the challenges of the 1990s.?-Comparative Education ?The papers in this volume examine the links between research, policy, and change in education. It inquires into the relationships between the economy, politics, and the states and reviews the praxis of education in Latin American countries in the context of the development trends of the 1980s.?-Educational Administration Abstracts ..."provides a good foundation for understanding how educational theory in Latin America has evolved into what it is now, and, collectively, the authors provide useful guidance research that is necessary to face the challenges of the 1990s."-Comparative Education "The papers in this volume examine the links between research, policy, and change in education. It inquires into the relationships between the economy, politics, and the states and reviews the praxis of education in Latin American countries in the context of the development trends of the 1980s."-Educational Administration Abstracts ..."effectively argues that education and educational policy are interrelated with political and socioeconomic factors. This point is well illustrated using historical studies from various countries. The need for new educational theory and practice throughout Latin America is well supported in the individual chapters and in the conclusion. This book builds a good foundation for understanding how educational theory in Latin America evolved into what it is now, and gives guidance to the further research and new theories that are necessary to face the challenges of the 1990s."-Compare