Education, Change and Society continues to help readers situate educational activity in its broad social and policy contexts. The Australian education system and the government's responsibilities for education have all been subject to radical reform in recent decades. It has never been more important for students of education to be able to understand the connections between the local and the global in explaining contemporary educational change. To assist with this, every chapter of this text not only describes and analyses what is going on, but also interprets the evidence in different ways. Also, pedagogical features throughout encourage discussion of the issues raised. Some of the questions explored include: how do Aboriginal students experience Australian schools?; who writes education policy documents and what purpose do they hold?; why did state, private and corporate schools emerge as they did in Australia?; how do social class and gender differences affect schooling and its outcomes?; what constitutes the work of teachers, and can teachers 'make a difference'?; how has the role of research become increasingly significant in education and to teachers in particular?

Table of Contents

CONTRIBUTORS; PUBLISHER'S NOTE; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; INTRODUCTION; 1. Young People and School; 2. Growing Up; 3. Youth Transitions; 4. City and Bush; 5. Class and Competition; 6. Cultural Difference and Identity; 7. Aboriginality and Pedagogies; 8. Gender; 9. Making Education Policy; 10. Schools and School Choice; 11. Curriculum; 12. Teachers; 13. Globalisation; 14. Researching Education; REFERENCES; INDEX