Routledge Education and Reform in China (Routledge Studies in Asia's Transformations)

Transformative market reforms in China since the late 1970s have improved living standards dramatically, but have also led to unprecedented economic inequality. During this period, China’s educational system was restructured to support economic development, with educational reforms occurring at a startling pace. Today, the educational system has diversified in structure, finance, and content; it has become more market-oriented; and it is serving an increasingly diverse student population.  These changes carry significant consequences for China’s social mobility and inequality, and future economic prospects.  In Education and Reform in China, leading scholars in the fields of education, sociology, demography, and economics investigate the evolution of educational access and attainment, educational quality, and the economic consequences of being educated. Education and Reform in China shows that economic advancement is increasingly tied to education in China, even as educational services are increasingly marketized. The volume investigates the varying impact of change for different social, ethnic, economic and geographic groups. Offering interdisciplinary views on the changing role of education in Chinese society, and on China’s educational achievements and policy challenges, this book will be an important resource for those interested in education, public policy, and development issues in China. Review "Hannum and Park present a relevant and fitting geographically representative discussion of education and reform in China. The credentials of the editors and authors, coupled with the quantitative and qualitative studies, make the book a valuable resource for those interested in education, public policy, and development issues in China in the twenty-first century." Rhea Ashmore, Comparative Education Review, May 2008   'Emily Hannum, Albert Park and their contributors have given us a stateof-the-art volume, using the most sophisticated social science research methodologies, on some of the key issues the Chinese government and educational authorities have been grappling with over the last two decades.' - The China Review, Vol.8, No.2 (Fall 2008) About the Author Albert Park is Associate Professor of Economics and Faculty Associate of the Center for Chinese Studies and International Policy Center at the University of Michigan. Emily Hannum is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is a member of the Graduate Group in Demography, the Graduate Group in Education, and the Center for East Asian Studies.