ITSF+5006+International+Education+Policy+Studies

=Fall 2011 =

Professor: Gita Steiner-Khamsi and Andrew Shiotani (TC)

Course description
The course is designed to help students to understand the rationale and techniques in applied policy analysis underlying education sector strategies of low-income countries. In addition, it will introduce students to current trends and major issues and debates in the international policy environment in educational development. Students will investigate current education sector strategies, and explore reform strategies and critical debates over the role of donors and aid recipients in development contexts.

Assignments for the course will require students to develop a policy review of one of the five major education subsectors of a developing country (see Assignments section for more detail). Students focus on one country throughout the semester and develop ‘deliverables’ that become part of their sector review. Students are expected to be proactive in seeking web-based resources, databases, and research literature that will help them to develop a solid sector review.

Review
Overall, this course is a useful overview of international education issues and debates, and as such is perhaps best suited for students without much background in the area. Professor Steiner-Khamsi has significant practical consulting experience that she references frequently; as a result of some consulting assignments, the course was team taught in Fall 2011. The teaching styles of the two professors were not very similar, and the course was occasionally a bit disorganized. However, the sub-sector review assignment was a substantive project that provided a good opportunity to research a country's education system in detail 1345401041

Student contact information
Dara MacDonald - dlm2169@columbia.edu