The Role of International Organizations in Education

International organizations play an important role in the development of education around the world. Some have a direct impact on the rights of children and parents in education, while others have an indirect impact by addressing such issues as health, welfare or finance. Prominent among the most influential international organizations are the members of the United Nations family of agencies, although regional development banks and trade union organisations also play important roles. And no mention of international organizations would be complete without reference to the PISA programme of the OECD, although the OECD does much more in the field of education.

The Role of International Organizations in Education provides an introductory background to the operation of organisations that have had a direct and lasting impact on the implementation of educational policy in an international context. The accounts provided give researchers and practitioners to the field an initial account of the organizations, their development over the last seven decades, and their changing influence on the practice of education. By including voices from countries on the receiving end of international policies, the volume also introduces some of the debates that pervade in the field of international education.

David Turner is Professor of Comparative Education in the Institute of International and Comparative Education, Beijing Normal University, and Emeritus Professor at the University of South Wales. He has published books and articles on the theory of education and the history and finance of education.

Hüseyin Yolcu is Professor of Educational Administration in the Kastamonu University Faculty of Education in Turkey. He conducts research about the social inequalities in educational financing and the comparative impact of educational policies.

Selda Polat Hüsrevşahi is Professor in the Department of Educational Sciences at the Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University. Her writing and research has been in the area of Education and Social Justice, Education and Socioeconomic Inequality, Critical Theory and Education.