Educational Governance in China

Educational Governance in China
Author: Ming Yang
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2018-09-07
Genre: Education
ISBN: 981130842X

This book presents a comprehensive and cutting-edge overview of the educational governance reform trajectory and the latest issues in China, addressing several important topics such as administration, internal management, provision, enrollment, employment, financing, examinations, evaluation and quality assurance. In addition, this important and timely book discusses the educational system at all levels, from primary and secondary schools to colleges and universities, and each chapter ends with a discussion of the status quo, problems facing China and coping strategies for further reform. The past 68 years (1949-2016) have seen a sea change in social, economic, cultural, political and educational fields. Systematically describing the educational landscape in China, the book also reveals how the massive changes in China have shaped education, and how education has responded to the new demands placed on it. Offering essential insights into educational reform in China, the book represents a valuable resource, especially for researchers and graduate students in the field of education.

Public Education Reform and Network Governance

Public Education Reform and Network Governance
Author: Philip Wing Keung Chan
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2019-03-05
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0429863012

This book is located in the field of education governance and sits amidst debates on public school reform in China. It examines how a top-down policy approach has been implemented from central government right down to the district level within the public education system in China. It shows the way networks support negotiation and bargaining at the district level which, in turn, influences the broader education policy of the central government. Using statistical data from education yearbooks, government documents analysis and interviews with main stakeholders in this policy arena, the book incorporates case studies from railway State-Owned Enterprise schools. Analysis of these indicates that the processes of formulating and implementing Chinese education policy can be characterised as a form of network governance, which coordinates actors, decision-making processes and stakeholders’ motivation to comply with collective decisions in Chinese education. Network governance acts as an effective and legitimate way of problem solving that assists policy implementation and education reform in China. By comparing two traditional modes of governance (governance through bureaucracy and the governance through markets), this book shows the network mode of governance in Chinese education is more powerful and significant, especially since the negotiated results among actors in the policy community are favourable.

Transformations in Higher Education Governance in Asia

Transformations in Higher Education Governance in Asia
Author: Darryl S. L. Jarvis
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2019-08-06
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9811392943

This book documents experimentation with various policy and governance approaches that produce structural differences in the composition and organisation of Asia’s higher education systems. In view of the wide variation in the public and private provision of higher education, it showcases how issues of access, equity and modes of participation are addressed, how institutional and programme quality are managed and how academic labour is treated and developed. The book both maps these differences and analyses the country-level dynamics, policy approaches and the problems faced by a variety of states in Asia in the race to develop competitive higher education systems. Focusing on the intersection of governance and higher education policy, it addresses the challenges facing higher education in Asia and the national responses of governments in terms of the organisation of the sector.

Higher Education, Meritocracy and Inequality in China

Higher Education, Meritocracy and Inequality in China
Author: Ye Liu
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2016-10-08
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9811015880

This book investigates the changing opportunities in higher education for different social groups during China’s transition from the socialist regime to a market economy. The first part of the book provides a historical and comparative analysis of the development of the idea of meritocracy, since its early origins in China, and in more recent western thought. The second part then explores higher education reforms in China, the part played by supposedly meritocratic forms of selection, and the implications of these for social mobility. Based on original empirical data, Ye Liu sheds light on the socio-economic, gender and geographical inequalities behind the meritocratic façade of the Gaokao (高考). Liu argues that the Chinese philosophical belief in education-based meritocracy had a modern makeover in the Gaokao, and that this ideology induces working-class and rural students to believe in upward social mobility through higher education. When the Gaokao broke the promise of status improvement for rural students, they turned to the Chinese Communist Party and sought political connections by actively applying for its membership. This book reveals a bleak picture of visible and invisible inequality in terms of access to and participation in higher education in contemporary China. Written in an accessible style, it offers a valuable resource for researchers and non-specialist readers alike.

Graduate Education Governance in China

Graduate Education Governance in China
Author: Jian Li
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 155
Release: 2022-05-06
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9811920494

This book explores graduate education governance in China from a comprehensive policy perspective. It offers conceptual and practical models to systematically analyze the holistic landscape of graduate education governance in China. In particular, it analyzes the national governance of graduate education in China, graduate education quality assurance in China, the student-tutor relationship of graduate education in China, the regional layout structure of graduate education in Chinese universities, the integration of science and education in China’s graduate education, the integration of industry and education in graduate education, the reform of graduate education evaluation system and mechanism in China’s universities, the opening up of graduate education in China’s universities, an international comparison of graduate education governance policies between the case of China and the USA.

Paradigm Shift of Education Governance in China

Paradigm Shift of Education Governance in China
Author: Yan Wang
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2019-10-16
Genre: Education
ISBN: 366259515X

The book addresses the paradigm shift in education governance in China through a study of two legislation episodes in China: the 1986 Compulsory Education Law and the 2006 Compulsory Education Law Amendment. The research began with two broad questions: how was the Compulsory Education Law made and amended? Why was it made and amended? Using ethnographic interviews and documentary analysis as the main research methods, more specific questions on both legislative processes were delved into as the research evolved: What were the driving forces behind the 1986 and 2006 legislation? What values of compulsory education were assumed in their central decisions? What was the institutional rationale underpinning them? Data was collected through ethnographic interviews with key informants involved in the policymaking process. The research findings were analyzed and presented on the basis of narration analysis. The policymaking process of the legislation was then analyzed from three paradigms: agenda-setting, decision-making and organizational behavior. Finally, by examining the results of the previous stages of analysis, and further comparing the two cases, the research arrived at a theoretical framework for education governance that embraces three essential elements: political ideology, perceived value of education, and institutional rationale. A thorough analysis of the two legislative processes identified that the political ideology ‒ which shifted from efficiency-oriented economic well-being to equity-oriented social cohesion ‒ steered the agenda-setting of the compulsory education legislation. The perceived value of education reflects the role that education plays in development, changing from economic value to social value. The institutional rationale essentially determines strategies by which compulsory education materializes, with a variance from governing by goal and mobilization to governing by accountability and regulation. In conclusion, education governance in China witnessed a paradigm shift from “economic instrumentalism” to “social rationalism” between mid-1980s and 2006.

School Choice in China

School Choice in China
Author: Wu Xiaoxin
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2013-10-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1134675941

School Choice in China explores the major characteristics of schooling options in China, highlighting how largely middle-class parents exploit their cultural, economic and social capital for their children's admission into choice schools. It highlights how payments such as choice fees, donations, prize-winning certificates and awards, as well as the use of guanxi, result in Chinese school choice as a parent-driven, bottom-up movement. The author also explores how schools and local governments cash in on the school choice fever in order to obtain significant economic returns, leading to policies that accommodate the needs of mostly middle-class families. He argues that although this system seems to create winners among the parties involved, it exacerbates the educational inequality that already exists in Chinese society. Chapters include: Positional competition for cultural capital Exploitation of social capital Economics of school choice Class reproduction through parental choice This book is not simply a detailed analysis of Chinese school choice practices, but also a study of the competitive middle class search for advantage for their children. As such it will be beneficial to undergraduates, postgraduates, education professionals, policy makers, and anyone with an interest in education, sociology, social policy, and the rise and future of China.

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon?

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon?
Author: Yong Zhao
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2014-09-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1118487133

The secrets behind China's extraordinary educational system – good, bad, and ugly Chinese students' consistently stunning performance on the international PISA exams— where they outscore students of all other nations in math, reading, and science—have positioned China as a world education leader. American educators and pundits have declared this a "Sputnik Moment," saying that we must learn from China's education system in order to maintain our status as an education leader and global superpower. Indeed, many of the reforms taking hold in United States schools, such as a greater emphasis on standardized testing and the increasing importance of core subjects like reading and math, echo the Chinese system. We're following in China's footsteps—but is this the direction we should take? Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon? by award-winning writer Yong Zhao offers an entertaining, provocative insider's account of the Chinese school system, revealing the secrets that make it both "the best and worst" in the world. Born and raised in China's Sichuan province and a teacher in China for many years, Zhao has a unique perspective on Chinese culture and education. He explains in vivid detail how China turns out the world's highest-achieving students in reading, math, and science—yet by all accounts Chinese educators, parents, and political leaders hate the system and long to send their kids to western schools. Filled with fascinating stories and compelling data, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon? offers a nuanced and sobering tour of education in China. Learn how China is able to turn out the world's highest achieving students in math, science, and reading Discover why, despite these amazing test scores, Chinese parents, teachers, and political leaders are desperate to leave behind their educational system Discover how current reforms in the U.S. parallel the classic Chinese system, and how this could help (or hurt) our students' prospects

Handbook of Education Policy Studies

Handbook of Education Policy Studies
Author: Guorui Fan
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2020-06-10
Genre: Education
ISBN: 981138343X

This open access handbook brings together the latest research from a wide range of internationally influential scholars to analyze educational policy research from international, historical and interdisciplinary perspectives. By effectively breaking through the boundaries between countries and disciplines, it presents new theories, techniques and methods for contemporary education policy, and illustrates the educational policies and educational reform practices that various countries have introduced to meet the challenges of continuous change. This volume focuses on policies and changes in schools and classrooms. The studies on school changes present the differences in the policies and challenges of K-12 schools and universities in different countries and regions, and in connection with the contradictions and conflicts between tradition and modernization, as well as the changing roles of various stakeholders, especially that of teachers. In terms of curriculum and instruction, many countries have undertaken experiments and introduced changes based on two major themes: “what to teach” and “how to teach”. International education assessments represented by PISA not only promote the improvement and extensive application of educational assessment and testing techniques, but have also had far-reaching impacts on education policies and education reforms in many countries. Focusing on the changes in educational policies at the micro level, this volume comprehensively reveals the complex interactions between school organizations, teachers, curricula, teaching and learning, evaluation and other elements within the education system, as well as the latest related reforms worldwide.