Routledge Politics of Quality in Education: A Comparative Study of Brazil, China, and Russia (Routledge Research in International and Comparative Education)

The question of quality has become one of the most important framing factors in education and has been of growing interest to international organisations and national policymakers for decades. Politics of Quality in Education focuses on Brazil, China, and Russia, part of the so-called emerging nations’ BRICS block, and draws on a four-year project to develop a new theoretical and methodological approach. The book builds a comparative, sociohistorical, and transnational understanding of political relations in education, with a particular focus on the policies and practices of Quality Assurance and Evaluation (QAE). Tracking QAE processes from international organisations to individual schools, contributors analyse how QAE changes the dynamics in the roles of state, expertise, and governance. The book demonstrates how national and sub-national actors play a central role in the adaptation, modification or rejection of transnational policies. Politics of Quality in Education will be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students engaged in the study of comparative and international education, as well as educational policy and politics. It should also be essential reading for practitioners and policymakers. The Open Access version of this book, available at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781351362528, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. Review "Quality is too often understood in the abstract. This book traces the political formation of quality in time and space - from trans-national organizations to decision makers at national and local levels in the educational systems of China, Russia, and Brazil. Due to its unique empirical coverage and its daring theoretical aspiration, this is a truly amazing book." Peter Dahler-Larsen, Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, and past president of European Evaluation Society. About the Author Jaakko Kauko is Associate Professor of Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Tampere. His research focuses on the fields of education policy and comparative education. Risto Rinne is Professor of Education, Vice-Dean and Head of the Department of Education and Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning and Education (CELE) at the University of Turku, Finland. He is a member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and has published more than 500 scientific works. Tuomas Takala is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Tampere. His research has focused on the formation and implementation of education policies in developing countries.