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In an important book about numbers and social affairs, Theodore Porter (1995) begins by asking: “... more In an important book about numbers and social affairs, Theodore Porter (1995) begins by asking: “How are we to account for the prestige and power of quantitative methods in the modern world? How is it that what was used for studying stars, molecules and cells would have attraction for human societies?” To consider these questions, Porter continues that only a small proportion of numbers or quantitative expressions have any pretence of describing laws of nature or “even of providing complete and accurate descriptions of the eternal world” (Porter 1995: viii–ix). Numbers, he argues, are parts of systems of communication whose technologies create distances from phenomena by appearing to summarize complex events and transactions. The objectivity of numbers appears as mechanical, following a priori rules that project fairness and impartiality, numbers are seen as excluding judgment and mitigating subjectivity.

Espacio, Tiempo y Educación, 2016

Sobre el uso de los números de la Educación: construcciones comparativas de jerarquías a través d... more Sobre el uso de los números de la Educación: construcciones comparativas de jerarquías a través de evaluaciones a gran escala

Sociology of education: Emerging perspectives, 1998

... Jana Sawicki (1988), for example, reviewing feminist research, argues that feminine forms ofe... more ... Jana Sawicki (1988), for example, reviewing feminist research, argues that feminine forms ofembodiment in di-etary and fitness regimes ... school reform discourses in the forms of disciplining and governing of the" child." School didactics and teacher education reforms, for ex ...

adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriat... more adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

There is a “commonsense” in the contemporary policy that moves across Europe and North America. T... more There is a “commonsense” in the contemporary policy that moves across Europe and North America. That commonsense is the use of benchmarks in welfare state reform to assure the proper articulation of goals that enable their measurement and attainment. The corollary of the benchmark statements is that research identifies the empirical evidence that testifies about what works to secure the desired changes. The putting together of benchmarks and the call for “scientific evident” entails the faith that the correct mixture of research and policy will provide the pathways for effective social and educational improvement.

Springer International Handbooks of Education

Critical Analyses of Educational Reforms in an Era of Transnational Governance

The chapter considers the globalization and transnational through examining reform as embodying s... more The chapter considers the globalization and transnational through examining reform as embodying standards. My use of standards is not in the publically stated goals of policy. They are in the principles generated in the making of the objects of reflection and administration of children. These standards relate historically to the rules and standards about who the child is and should be and who is “different,” abjected, and thus excluded. The chapter begins with interviews of American urban teachers, with urban as a phrase used to talk about teachers of children of the poor, racialized, and ethnic groups that are marginalized in educational settings. This child is called “the child left behind” in American legislation designed to improve schools for a category in education that refers to children considered socially disadvantaged, marginalized, and associated with problems of low achievement in school. The chapter proceeds to historicize how differences and divisions are established to make “the urban” teacher and child as different in American social and education sciences at the turn of the twentieth century. It argues that the sciences of teaching and learning embody cultural theses about kinds of people. These cultural theses involve double gestures: the hope of schooling in making kinds of people whose modes of living embody collective moral values and with this hope of inclusion are simultaneous fears of the dangers and dangerous populations. The thinking about reform is a historical method to study what schools do, how reforms function, and educational research. My concern with the double gestures of reform is to explore the limits of contemporary frameworks that define the subject of school reform and its research programs.

Curriculo sem Fronteiras

Resumo O presente artigo traz apontamentos sobre o papel dos números na construção de sujeitos, e... more Resumo O presente artigo traz apontamentos sobre o papel dos números na construção de sujeitos, escolas e políticas educacionais, também sobre o que são e o que deveriam ser. Entendendo os números enquanto construções sociais, um tipo de linguagem socialmente validada a partir de critérios científicos, são levantadas reflexões sobre como os números catalisam reestruturações objetivas e subjetivas nos sistemas educacionais e em seus sujeitos, em perspectiva global, devido às avaliações internacionais em larga escala. Os números possibilitaram novos paradigmas de comparação entre os sistemas escolares nacionais, que deixaram de ser focada em aspectos compreensivos, para enfatizar aspectos competitivos e hierárquicos. As avaliações internacionais em larga escala e os números que delas provêm dão novos sentidos ao que a educação é e o que ela deveria ser.

Historia de la Educación

Resumen: En el artículo se reflexiona interpelando al modelo tradicional de historia de la educac... more Resumen: En el artículo se reflexiona interpelando al modelo tradicional de historia de la educación, muy centrado en el documento y el archivo, y se sugiere una metateoría de la historia de la educación sustentada en la dimensión trasnacional y comparativa. La base de reflexión es la comunidad de historiadores de la educación de usa, pero la reflexión alcanza de forma universal a toda la comunidad científica, promoviendo una lectura trasnacional y comparativista de los estudios históricos sobre la escuela y los sistemas educativos de todo el mundo.

ECNU Review of Education

There is almost a truth to contemporary school reform. The truth is that to guarantee the quality... more There is almost a truth to contemporary school reform. The truth is that to guarantee the quality of reform is to identify benchmarks as standards to achieve and to judge students and teacher success through research that provides "empirical" or "scientific evidence". Benchmarks and empirical evidence are what makes possible the connection of policy and research to effective change. This notion of change is prominent at the intersections of national educational agencies, higher education, and comparative metrics of educational performance assessments in many countries, such as China and Sweden. The use of benchmarks and empirical evidence are assumed as foundational for models of change found in social services agencies and national educational systems. The notions of benchmarks and having "empirical evidence" to validate reforms, are not merely about science. When thought historically and culturally, they embody

Teacher Education and Teaching as Struggling for the Soul

Historia Cultural Y Educacion Ensayos Criticos Sobre Conocimiento Y Escolarizacion 2003 Isbn 84 87682 44 8 Pags 146 184, 2003

Formacion Del Profesorado Tradicion Teoria Y Practica 1990 Isbn 84 370 0632 5 Pags 6 34, 1990

Choice Reviews Online, 2015

Problematizing the "reason" of schooling as historical and political, in this book leading intern... more Problematizing the "reason" of schooling as historical and political, in this book leading international and interdisciplinary scholars challenge the common sense of schooling and the relation of society, education, and curriculum studies. Examining the limits of contemporary notions of power and schooling, the argument is that the principles that order school subjects, the curriculum, and teaching reforms are historical practices that govern what is thought, acted on, and talked about. Highlighting the dynamics of social exclusion, the normalizing of people through curriculum, and questions of social inclusion, The "Reason" of Schooling underscores the urgency for rethinking curriculum research.