Based on the analysis of the nature of educational policy and the values in educational reforms, focuses on the theory, technology and methodology used in decision-making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of educational policy. Adopting and combining social, political and economic perspectives, it assesses the multiple dimensions of educational policy decision-making and implementation, and illuminates the connections between educational policies and education reform.  provides a comprehensive and unparalleled collection of research examining the central role of policy in the international context of education and national development in the new millennium. It critically examines the processes of policy formulation and actualization, its modes of analysis, the limits and difficulties of educational change, and the changing boundaries that relate research communities and social and political actors. It extends and broadens the field to include curriculum studies in the examination of policies for social justice and equality, and explores the new complexities of the relations between policy, society, political systems and practices of educational policy research. This handbook is unique in bringing together a broad spectrum of internationally respected scholars from multiple disciplines into one book by engaging in international, historical and cross-disciplinary analysis of policy studies, it effectively and fruitfully pushes the boundaries.weiterlesen