Education in the Balance explores the significant choices and opportunities worldwide that are opening up to school leaders of the future for the development of schools and school systems. It argues that the judgments of individuals in leadership positions in a wide range of settings, including ministries of education, schools, private companies and NGOs may, cumulatively, have unintended implications for schools and school systems. In failing to give sufficient consideration to alternative approaches, opportunities to achieve greater or more widespread educational benefits may be missed. The future of school education depends on the quality of its leaders and on the readiness of leadership to act for the long term and with a sense of global responsibility. What knowledge, skills and attributes will new leaders of schools need, and how can they be developed? Raphael Wilkins maps out these issues, drawing on his first-hand experience as an international consultant in education leadership. This book supports the strategic leadership of schools and school systems, by mapping global issues and developments, helping leaders to reflect on their chosen pathways and options, and to identify their own professional development needs.

Based on the spatial perspective, this book takes the urban area of Xi'an, China, as the main research region and studies the balance of resource allocation, focusing on educational resources and school layout. The author constructs a mathematical model to measure the level and types of resource allocation and regional differences in primary schools, and uses GIS spatial analysis to explore the efficiency and fairness of school spatial layout. The book suggests a better way for the balanced development of basic education in Xi'an city. It also provides theoretical foundations, analytical methods and empirical support for the study of balanced public resource management in public service, urban planning and urban geography. This book is suitable for students and scholars of tourism management, regional planning, facilities and urban management, and those interested in resource allocation in Chinese urban areas in general.

How do we understand the evolution of central-local relations in China during the reform period? This book addresses this question by focusing on eight separate issues in which the central-local relationship has been especially salient – government finance, investment control, regional development, administrative zoning, implementation, culture, social welfare and international relations. Each chapter introduces a sector and the way the center and various local governments have shared or divided power over the different periods of China’s reform era. The balance of power is gauged dynamically over time to measure the extent to which one level of government dominates, influences or shares power in making decisions in each of these particular domains, as well as what is likely to occur in the foreseeable future. The authors assess the winners and losers of these changes among key actors in China’s society. The result provides a dynamic view of China’s changing power relations.

The National Education Finance Academy has once again convened university faculty members, state-level administrators, officials from state level chapters of the Association of School Business Officials, and others to provide a single-volume reference of school funding mechanisms for each of the states, the District of Columbia, Indian Country, and the US territories. This volume supplements the annual “state-of-the-state” profiles produced by the National Education Finance Academy so that educators, policymakers, and researchers can have access to accurate and concise information on how K12 education functions are supported across multiple jurisdictions. In addition, each profile addresses state level efforts to provide education funding to support schools during the COVID- 19 pandemic. The second edition expands upon groundbreaking work in the first edition, which for the first time reported comprehensively on the multiple jurisdictions and mechanisms impacting funding for Native American students, by also reporting on policies and funding mechanisms for public schools in US Territories.

Focusing on the future development of basic education in China, and on overcoming related issues, this book identifies key breakthroughs, priorities and important fields of basic education reform. In addition, it introduces the “Three Power Model” – decision-making, principals’ leadership, and learning power – to help address the challenges of future development. Unlike much of the research on basic education reform, the book draws on a forward-thinking, realistic and comprehensive project: bringing together 15 universities and research institutes, 16 provincial administration departments, and 100 selected primary and secondary schools, it has also been strongly endorsed by the nation’s leaders. After five years of practice and innovation, it has made significant breakthroughs in many provinces. Sharing unique insights into the project and its outcomes, the book offers an invaluable asset for education researchers, primary and secondary school teachers, and anyone interested in the evolution of basic education in China.

These proceedings represent the work of contributors to the 22nd European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL 2023), hosted by University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa on 26-27 October 2023. The Conference Co-Chairs Associate Professor Sarah Jane Johnston and Associate Professor Shawren Singh both from University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa. ECEL is now a well-established event on the academic research calendar and now in its 22nd year the key aim remains the opportunity for participants to share ideas and meet the people who hold them. The scope of papers will ensure an interesting two days. The subjects covered illustrate the wide range of topics that fall into this important and ever-growing area of research. It is especially relevant that the conference is being hosted by UNISA this year as the university celebrates its 150th anniversary. UNISA has been a pioneer in first distance and now e-Learning. The conference will also host the final round of the 9th e-Learning Excellence Awards where innovate case histories will be presented. The opening keynote presentation is given by Professor Thenjiwe Meyiwa, Vice Principal for the Research, Postgraduate Studies, Innovation and Commercialisation at University of South Africa who will speak on, “The Role of African Feminisms in Shaping a Sustainable Future of Being and Learning”. An afternoon keynote on Thursday will be made by Dr Zolile Martin Mguda, University of South Africa on the topic of “ChatGPT: The first year”. The second day of the conference will open with an address by Dr Isabel Tarling, MD, Limina, South Africa with the title “Developing Digital Standards for Learning and Teaching in South Africa’s Schools”. With an initial submission of 100 abstracts, after the double blind, peer review process there are 45 Academic research papers, 3 PhD research papers and 1 Masters Research paper published in these Conference Proceedings. These papers represent research from Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mozambique, Norway, Oman, Perú, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.