This book offers a relevant sample of the current research on Latin American education in comparative perspective. In their introduction, Carlos Alberto Torres & Adriana Puiggros, two of the most recognized researchers of Latin American education, draw from political sociology of education, theories of the state, history of education, & deconstructionist theories to focus on changes in state formation in the region & its implications for the constitution of the pedagogical subject in public schools. Throughout the different chapters, the contributors present & analyze the most relevant topics, research agendas, & some of the key theoretical & political problems of Latin American education.
This volume examines the links among research, policy, and change in education in Latin America in the context of the relationships among the economy, politics, and the state in the 1980s. The book addresses the following questions: How did education respond during the 1980s to the major sociopolitical and economic changes that affected these countries? How did the changes in the 1980s affect the relationships between education, society, and the state, and what lessons can be learned from the interaction between research and policy that may help in understanding the developmental role of education in the 1990s? And is educational research and policy helping to improve the social condition of minorities in Latin America?
Comparative special education is a topic rarely covered in research. This is a ground-breaking assessment of special education services for students with mild disabilities in eight Latin American countries (Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and Uruguay). Considering that people with mild disabilities comprise more than two-thirds of the disabled population in the world, this is an important area of study. The editors have identified two broad areas in which experiences could be recounted: the provision of services and the preparation of personnel. The focus is on the elementary education level, although early intervention and secondary education are also discussed.
Torres brings a unique theoretical perspective to the study of the politics of nonformal education in Latin America. Using the literacy and adult education programs in several Latin American countries--Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Grenada--as the prime examples of adult educational reform, Torres examines such issues as: Why are given educational policies created? How are they constructed, planned, and implemented? Who are the most relevant actors in their formulation and operationalization? What are the implications of such policies for both clients and the broader society? What are the fundamental, systematic, and organizational processes involved?
In Neoliberalism & Education in Latin America, Adriana Puiggros illuminates the process by which the borders separating educators in the United States & Latin America have been erased due to imperialist policies that affect democratic pedagogy in both parts of the Americas. Puiggros takes stock of the critical work on educational relations between the United States & Latin America, covering the evolution of Latin American pedagogical discussion in recent decades. She argues that the association of education with progress, the cornerstone of the U.S. educational system, takes on a different meaning when exported to Latin America as a slogan. Limitless progress, an aim typical of advanced capitalism, becomes, in developing countries, an exhortation toward an unattainable goal: a mirror reflection of U.S. society.
Crossing Lines analyzes the experiences of more than 25 education research networks spanning Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. Their history yields rich insights into the construction and maintenance of communication structures and processes that increase the utility, and the utilization, of education policy research.
The link between economic development and education in Latin America is generally well-recognized. A literate and educated work force is the largest single factor in explaining economic growth. In this study, the editors and contributors survey the various elementary educational systems to investigate the reasons behind the failure of schools to retain students in elementary grades. A group of scholars looks at the current state of education in four countries: Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, with a view to designing more effective programs for reducing the dropout and grade repetition rates. For each country studied, there is an overview of the school system, teacher training and attitudes, centralized and decentralized planning, curriculum development, and psychological and environmental issues that contribute to school dropout.