UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

College of Education

Descriptive Information

Department: Educational and Human Sciences

Course Title: Education and National Development

Course Number: EDS 6365

Course Credit: 3 semester hours

Catalog Description

This course is an introduction to the field of international development education. Specifically, this course explores the relationship between education and national developmentby studying several multinational institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in educational planning around the world, as well as current issues in the field.

Required Texts

Chabbott, Colette. (2003). Constructing education for development: international organization and Education for All. New York: RoutledgeFalmer.

Phillips, David and Michele Schweisfurth. (2006). Comparative and international education: an introduction to theory, method and practice. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group.

Course Objectives

The objectives of this course are the following:

1. To discuss prevailing definitions, ideas and assumptions about education and development.

2. To introduce students to the role international, national, and local actors (andinstitutions) play in education in less developed countries.

3. To engage students in examining the critical role of education in the development of nations.

4. To examine and evaluate positions and responses of government and nongovernmental actors to the challenges of social and economic inequalities.

Course Requirements

  1. Completion of assigned readings and participation in class discussion and activities. (Objective 1)

This is a graduate level seminar. As such YOU are expected to assume major responsibility for actively contributing to each class. That is, you are responsible for completing the required readings in advance of the designated class session. You will be expected to contribute actively and positively. Active and positive engagement in class is one means of learning new material and of considering your professional and intellectual position with regard to those ideas and concepts. Note that you are responsible for assigned material NOT discussed in class.

Evaluation Criteria (20 points)

The following are examples of factors we will consider when evaluating your active and positive engagement:

  • interesting and insightful comments;
  • presenting good examples of concepts being discussed;
  • building on the comments of others, posing good questions;
  • being sensitive to your level of participation and making attempts to increase or decrease it, if necessary;
  • aware of the impact of your comments;
  • attending all class meetings; and
  • being on time.
  1. Fact sheet on an international/multinational/non-governmental organization and its education agenda and activities.(Objectives 2, 4)

You are expected to identify a non-governmental organization (NGO) involved with education and development and, pending the instructor’s approval of your organization, create a “fact sheet” describing the organization and its activities that will be distributed to the class. You should begin your NGO search, if you do not already have an NGO in mind, with the Chabbott textbook (Appendix A) or at websites such as WANGO (World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations) at or the United Nations’ DPI-NGO (Department of Public Information, Non-Governmental Organizations) at .

Evaluation Criteria (20 points)

Your fact sheet should provide:

  • a brief history of the organization
  • a description of its administrative structure
  • a description of its major educational activities
  • major funders
  • major partners
  • any international/multinational organizations to which your NGO belongs
  • major accomplishments
  • future plans
  1. Research paper. (Objectives 3, 4)

You are expected to choose a less-developed country and write a research paper on that country’s national education system; the International Encyclopedia of Education (reference book at the library) is a good place to start your research. Additionally, your paper should provide an in-depth discussion ofsomespecific educational initiative that is being used as a tool for national development. The country and the educational initiative you write on MUST be approved by the instructor!

At a minimum your paper must include:

  • an overview of the public education system, including
  • a description of the national office responsible for education (usually the Ministry of Education) including its major duties/responsibilities
  • the different tracks or types of schools students might be enrolled in (for example, a three-tiered education system which includes an unskilled laborer tierthat exitsstudents from school early, a polytechnic or skilled laborer tier, and an academic tier that prepares students for university)
  • the number of grades included in primary and secondary education
  • demographic data (as available), including the number of students enrolled bygender and ethnicity, enrollment/participation rates, retention and attrition rates, graduation rates, etc.
  • any testing conducted nationally, including high-stakes/exit testing, academic achievement testing, intelligence testing, aptitude testing, university entrance testing, etc.
  • a brief description of any private schools/education system, if applicable
  • an overview of the public higher education system, similar to your description of the public education system
  • a brief description of any private universities/higher education system, if applicable
  • a description of the major organizations participating in education and development in that country, if applicable (examples of organizations include the World Bank, UNICEF and/or UNESCO, regional development banks like the Asian Development Bank, and bilateral agreements with other countries)
  • in-depth analysis of an aspect of education that is being used as a tool for national development. This MUST be approved by the instructor; suitable topics could include, but are not limited to:
  • expanding primary education to rural populations
  • efforts to enroll more girls in school
  • recently expanded testing requirements as an assessment or accountability measure
  • development of new postsecondary institutions and/or degrees
  • efforts to increase enrollment in STEM majors at the secondary or tertiary level
  • government-sponsored scholarships for study abroad linked to specific development initiatives (teacher training, engineering or other science degrees, etc.)
  • inclusion of health initiatives (such as HIV/AIDS prevention) in the general curriculum
  • bilateral or institutional partnerships intended to increase capacity in the country being studied
  • curriculum or other projects that are being externally funded by organizations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, USAID, the World Bank, regional development banks, etc.

Evaluation Criteria (40 points)

The intent of the final paper is to provide students with in-depth knowledge of how nations use education as a tool for national development. Grading criteria will include:

  • thoroughness of educational system description
  • inclusion of an appropriate topic for in-depth research
  • quality, quantity and variety of academic resources cited in paper
  • ability to explain how chosen topic is intended to facilitate national development with the country being studied
  • relation of paper topic to class discussions and materials
  1. Research paper presentation. (Objectives1, 3, 4)

By the end of the course, every student will conduct a brief (30 minute) class presentation based on his/her research paper.

Evaluation Criteria (20 points)

You will be assessed on the quality of your

  • analysis/assessment of your chosen country and topic
  • handouts, power point and/or other visual aids
  • ability to relate your research to topics/ideas covered in class and in the readings
  • overall oral presentation (interactivity, engagement, professionalism, etc).

Translation of points

A=100 to 90B=89 to 80C=79 to 70D=69 to 60F=59 or less

Reasonable accommodation policy

Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate the educational experience.

Student Code

Make sure that you understand that the Student Code is applicable at the graduate level. Issues of academic integrity and honor must guide your studies. For a copy of the Code please see the UCF web page.

Turnitin.com

In this course we will utilize turnitin.com, an automated system which instructors can use to quickly and easily compare each student's assignment with billions of web sites, as well as an enormous database of student papers that grows with each submission. Accordingly, you will be expected to submit all assignments in both hard copy and electronic format. After the assignment is processed, as an instructor I receive a report from turnitin.com that states if and how another author’s work was used in the assignment. For a more detailed look at this process, visit

The course ID is:

The password is:

Course Schedule

Date / Topic / Readings
Week 1 / Introduction and Syllabus Review / Syllabus
Week 2 / Terms and Definitions, including
  • comparative education
  • international education
  • national development
  • education vs. schooling vs. training
/ Phillips and Schweisfurth Ch. 1-3
Chabbott Ch. 1
Week 3 / A Brief History of International Development
Country choice for final paper due / Chabbott Ch. 2-3
UN Declaration of Human Rights
Week 4 / Education and Development
The Bretton Woods Institutions
  • International Monetary Fund
  • World Bank
/ Phillips and Schweisfurth Ch. 4-6
Chabbott Ch. 4
IMF Website
World Bank Website
Week 5 / Multinational Organizations, including
  • United Nations organizations
  • Regional Development Banks
  • OECD
/ Chabbott, Ch. 5-7
UN Website (especially UNESCO and UNICEF)
Websites for IADB, AsDB, CDB, AfDB and others
Week 6 / Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
NGO choice for Fact Sheet due / Articles TBD
Week 7 / Bilateral Aid
  • USAID
  • DFID
  • CIDA
  • JICA
  • CFAD
Educational Issue choice for final paper due / Articles TBD
USA, UK, Canadian, Japanese and Chinese government agency websites
Week 8 / International Position Statements on Education / Phillips and Schweisfurth Ch. 8
Chabbott Ch. 7
Education for All
Millennium Development Goals
Week 9 / Elementary Education and Development / Articles TBD
Week 10 / Secondary Education and Development / Articles TBD
Week 11 / Tertiary Education and Development / Articles TBD
Week 12 / Adult Basic Education and Development
Fact Sheet due / Articles TBD
Week 13 / Comparative (Multinational) Research
  • TIMMS
  • PIRLS
/ Phillips and Schweisfurth Ch. 7, 9
International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Website
Week 14 / Paper Presentations
Week 15 / Paper Presentations
Final Papers due
Week 16 / Final Papers returned

Additional Readings/Resources

Authors

Philip Altbach

Robert (Bob) Arnove

Martin Carnoy

Stephen Heyneman

Ivan Illich

Noel McGinn

Fernando Reimers

Val Rust

Joel Samoff

Nelly Stromquist

Books

Altbach, Philip and G. Kelly. (Eds.) (1986). New approaches to comparative education. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Altbach, Philip, R. Arnove and G. Kelly. (Eds.). (1992). Emergent issues in education: comparative perspectives. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

Boli, J. & G.M. Thomas. (Eds.). (1999).Constructing World Culture. International Nongovernmental Organizations since1875.Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Burbules, Nicholas and C. A. Torres. (Eds.). (2000). Globalization and education: critical perspectives. New York: Routledge.

Carnoy, M. (1974).Education as Cultural Imperialism. New York, NY: Longman

Escobar, Arturo. (1995). Encountering development: the making and unmaking of the Third World. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Fagerlind, R. and Saha, F. (1989).Education & national development: acomparative perspective. Oxford, UK: Pergamon.

Fanon, Frantz. (1963). The wretched of the earth. New York: Grove Press.

Freire, P. (1973). Education for critical consciousness. New York: Continuum.

Freire, P. (1994). Pedagogy of the oppressed.New York: Continuum.

Giroux, H. A. (1983). Theory & resistance in education: apedagogy for the opposition.

London, UK: Heinemann Educational Books.

Goldman, Michael. (2005). Imperial nature: the World Bank and struggles for social justice in the age of globalization. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Harvey, David. (2003). The new imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Landes, David. (1998). The wealth and poverty of nations: why some are so rich and some are so poor. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Memmi, Albert. (1965). The colonizer and the colonized. Boston: Beacon Press.

Reimers, Fernando and Noel McGinn. (1997). Informed dialogue: using research to shape education policy around the world. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Rist, Gilbert. (1997). The history of development: from Western origins to global faith. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Sachs, Jeffrey. (2005). The end of poverty: economic possibilities for our time. New York: Penguin Press.

Sachs, Jeffrey. (2008). Common wealth: economics for a crowded planet. New York: Penguin Press.

Sachs, Wolfgang (Ed). (1999). The development dictionary: a guide to knowledge as power. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Sen, Amartya. (1999). Development as freedom. New York: Anchor Books.

Stiglitz, Joseph. (2002). Globalization and its discontents. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Stiglitz, Joseph. (2006). Making globalization work. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Stromquist, Nelly. (2002). Education in a globalized world: the connectivity of economic power, technology and knowledge. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Stromquist, N. P. and Basil, M. (eds.). (1999). Politics of educational innovations in developing countries: an analysis of knowledge and power. London, UK: Routledge.

Stromquist, Nelly and Karen Monkman. (2000). Globalization and education: integration and contestation across cultures. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Torres, C. A. & Puiggrós, A. (Eds.). (1997).Latin American Education: ComparativePerspectives. Colorado and Oxford: Westview Press.

World Bank. (2000). Higher education in developing countries: peril and promise. Washington, DC: World Bank.

any edition of the World Bank’s annual World Development Report

Articles

Altbach, Philip, R. Hopper, G. Psacharopoulos, D. Bloom and H. Rosovsky. (2004). Moderated discussion: the Task Force on Higher Education and Society. Comparative Education Review, 48 (1), 70-88.

Carnoy, M. (1995). Structural adjustment and the changing face of education. International Labour Review 134 (6), 653-673.

Chabott, C. (1998). Constructing educational consensus: international developmentprofessionals and the World Conference on Education for All.International Journal ofEducational Development 18(3), 207-218.

De Gregorio, J. and Lee, J. W. (1999). Education and Income Distribution: New Evidence fromCross-country Data. In HIID Development Discussion Papers, July, no. 714.

Epstein, E. H. (February, 1983). Currents Left and Right: Ideology in Comparative Education.Comparative Education Review 27(1), 3-29.

Jones, Phillip. (2006) Elusive mandate: UNICEF and educational development. InternationalJournal of Educational Development 26(6), 591-604.

Hayhoe, Ruth. (1995). Comparative reflections on the transition to mass higher education in East Asia.Comparative Education Review, 39 (3), 322-355.

Heyneman, Stephen. (1999). The sad story of UNESCO’s education statistics. InternationalJournal of Educational Development 19(1),65-74.

Heyneman, Stephen. (2003). The history and problems in the making of education policy at the World Bank 1960-2000. International Journal of Educational Development, 23 (3), 315-337.

McGinn, Noel. (1996). Education, democratization and globalization: a challenge for comparative education. Comparative Education Review, 40(4), 341-357.

Psacharopoulos, George and H. A. Patrinos. (2004). Returns to investment in education: a further update. Education Economics, 12 (2), 111-134.

Reimers, Fernando. (1991). The impact of economic stabilization and adjustment on education in Latin America. Comparative Education Review, 35 (2), 319-353.

Selvaratnam, Viswanathan. (1988). Ethnicity, inequality and higher education in Malaysia.Comparative Education Review, 32 (2), 173-196.

Stromquist, Nelly. (1990). Women and illiteracy: the interplay of gender subordination and poverty. Comparative Education Review, 34 (1), 95-111.

Wilson, David. (1994). Comparative and international education: fraternal or Siamese twins? A preliminary genealogy of our twin fields.Comparative Education Review, 38 (4), 449-486.

Wohluter, C. C. (1997). Classification of national education systems: a multivariate approach. Comparative Education Review, 41 (2), 161-177.

any article from the Comparative Education Review

White Papers/Position Statements

Education for All (

Millennium Development Goals(

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (

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