Comparative and International Education: A Journey toward Equality and Equity

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Comparative and international education is a field characterized by wide and constant borrowing of theories, concepts, and research methods from the social sciences. While some see this multidisciplinarity as cause for alarm, others consider it a source of intellectual wealth. Given the multiple disciplines, perspectives, and events that attract the attention of comparative and international education (CIE hereafter), it is difficult to present a consensual view of contributions, progress, and challenges to date. In examining the trajectory of CIE over several decades, I lean on my professional experience, a review of the major journals in the field, and my five years as associate editor for the Comparative Education Review. Even so, I make no claims that my account is the most complete or most accurate. Since education systems are intended to have positive effects on society both by providing essential skills and by promoting social mobility and inclusion of all citizens, this review focuses on the issues of equality and equity in the comparative education context. In 1969, two distinct groups of professionals joined to form the Comparative and International Education Society. In general, comparative education emphasizes the understanding of the dynamics of educational change and seeks to detect patterns of change across countries. International education concentrates primarily on developing countries and endeavors to gear education to the improvement and building of nation-states. CIE is found in university courses and programs and in academic journals, as well as in negotiations between and within states for purposes of policymaking. The ideas and preferences of CIE professionals are played out in various spaces: economists prevail in government and international transactions; in universities, there is a more balanced array of sociologists, political scientists, and, increasingly, anthropol-