The transition of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia from being part of the Soviet Union to prospective inclusion in the enlarged European Union has led to a number of "emerging goals" for their educational systems, the theme of this series edited by Peck (educational studies, U. of Strathclyde, UK). This volume contains 10 papers discussing such topics as social change and language policy, changes in the Estonian educational system, the work of teachers' support centers, Latvian school management experience, and Estonian higher education policy. Annotation 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

This book provides an internationally comparable set of indicators on the educational provision for students with disabilities, learning difficulties and disadvantages in the Baltic States, South Eastern Europe and Malta.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, among the newest member states of the European Union, are part of the "Copenhagen process," the EU’s training and education initiative. These nations have enjoyed special attention in European Vocational Education and Training (VET) policy. This book reviews and analyses reforms in VET and its applications. The book will benefit researchers studying VET in the Baltic states, and in the broader context of internationalisation.

The product of more than twenty years of research, first-person observations, discussions, and policy analyses, Nation-Building in the Baltic States: Transforming Governance, Social Welfare, and Security in Northern Europe explores the characteristics of the Baltic states as positioned in the northeast corridor in terms of military strife and polit

This book explores how the Baltic States have adapted to, and been embedded in, a wider European environment and how they have become modern European states. It focuses on changes in the policies, politics and administrative practices that have taken place after 1991 in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and on the influence of rules and ideas in the European Union. The authors investigate the meeting between national traditions, rule-making and practices – on the one hand; and traditions, rule-making and practices connected to the European Union – on the other. Drawing on organization theory, and the image of states as complex and fragmented organizations, this book discusses: The forms of governance that are directed towards states, differentiating between regulative, inquisitive and meditative activities. The logic of appropriateness and the scriptedness of states. To what extent do the states have to follow the rules, and to what extent are they able to do what they want themselves? Adaptation processes in the state organizations. This book examines how European integration prompts and accelerates new forms of governance in Europe; it will be of interest to students and scholars of politics, the European Union and the Baltic states.

This six-volume handbook covers the latest practice in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). It presents TVET models from all over the world, reflections on the best and most innovative practice, and dozens of telling case studies. The handbook presents the work of established as well as the most promising young researchers and features unrivalled coverage of developments in research, policy and practice in TVET.

Objectives and strategies for education policies in the Baltic Sea Region The Baltic Sea Region is often considered the most innovative and economically strongest region of Europe. However, these strong developments and dynamics are at risk to face their limits. A rather high unemployment rate exists in many countries in the region, while at the same time, a lack of skilled work force is growing - which might indicate, that the existing qualifications are not in line with the actual demands. A strong commitment is needed from all countries around the Baltic Sea Region, in particular with respect to the most important pillar of any well-working system, the education policy. The whole region is clearly characterised by small- and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). To stay competitive on a global scale, these companies need employees with the best possible qualifications. The text included has been discussed and adopted by the Hanse Parlament, an umbrella organization of 50 Chambers of Crafts and/or Commerce, and the Baltic Sea Academy, a network of 16 academic institutions that closely cooperate for the benefit of SMEs in the region.This publication summarizes the opportunities and challenges to then provide concrete recommendations, from early childhood education, general education, vocational training and higher education. The book includes the identical text in English, German, Polish and Russian language. Bildungspolitische Ziele und Strategien für den Ostseeraum

The Baltic States are unique in being the only member-states of the EU to have fought to regain their sovereignty from the Soviet Union, only then to cede it to Brussels in certain key areas. Similarly, no member-states have had to struggle as hard as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to preserve their identity after fifty years of Soviet nationality policy in the face of sub-state and supra-state challenges. The post-communist experience of the Baltic States thus allows us to examine debates about identity as a source of political power; the conditioning and constraining influence of identity discourses on social, political and economic change; and the orientation and outcome of their external relations. In particular, the book examines the impact of Russian and Soviet control of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; the Baltic independence movements of the late 1980s/early 1990s; the citizenship debates; relations with Russia vis-à-vis the withdrawal of the troops of the former Soviet Army; drawing of the shared boundary and the rights of Russian-speaking minorities as well as the efforts undertaken by the three Baltic States to rebuild themselves, modernise their economies, cope with the ensuing social changes and facilitate their accession to the EU and NATO.

Urban and regional development in the Baltic States and other Central and Eastern European countries has experienced rapid changes since their re-independence at the beginning of the 1990s. Meanwhile, urban and regional planning institutions and organizational cultures in the Baltic States have only changed rather incrementally, despite various national and European pressures for reform. As a consequence, the effects of European cohesion and structural policy measures have been quite modest, and the ability of the planning systems in the Baltic states to manage contemporary trends in urban and regional development has become increasingly limited. This book focuses on these issues and tensions of spatial planning and development in the Baltic States and their distinctiveness compared to other European countries. It provides an overview of the historical and cultural context of spatial development, a discussion of the processes of Europeanization of spatial planning in the specific context of the Baltic States, and an analysis of whether these processes may be leading to policy convergence in the region. This book was published as a special issue of European Planning Studies.