Explaining change in EU education policy

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“…The EU was originally more removed from education policy, but over time has become a more intentional driver of policy (Walkenhorst, 2008). When the EU was conceived, nations wanted to preserve national oversight over education, but over time the member nations developed common legal, institutional, and procedural mechanisms that, in effect, created a common EU educational policy (Walkenhorst, 2008).…”

“…The educational system in Barbados is vulnerable to these pressures as a UN designated developing island nation and the educators in the Barbadian system are especially vulnerable because of the variability in the level of formal training they have received. Overall, the EU goal for education appears to be a tool for employment and global economic competitiveness (Walkenhorst, 2008). LeBeer et al (2011) report that special education needs across Europe are on the rise, with high variability in the number of children identified and the proportion of those children who are in special education, rather than inclusive settings.…”

European higher education policy

“…The Commission's capacity to enroll stakeholders that depend on its material resources, data, and legitimizing power is of paramount importance to the successful expansion of its competences in the field of higher education. While it is acknowledged that European policy initiatives in education can be conceptualized as "EU policy" regardless of their institutional origin (Walkenhorst 2008), the entrepreneurial nature of EC policymaking deserves closer interpretative scrutiny. The Commission's "power of the purse" is not merely a material or technical issue (Batory and Lindstrom 2011); rather, it sheds light on the enrollment processes of a domestic clientele (i.e., universities) that is ready to challenge or lobby its own government in order to change the existing national legislation.…”

Polish Higher Education and the Global Academic Competition: University Rankings in the Reform Debates

“…These reforms refer, directly or indirectly, to different development strategies advocated by the European Commission and to the provisions of the Lisbon strategy on higher education and research. This illustrates the global shift of EU educational policies towards a pro-market orientation (Walkenhorst, 2008), which has been characterised by an increasing stress on purposeful, productive education and applied research, along with the measurement of 'performance' (Keeling, 2006, p. 209). suggesting a stronger internationalisation of the system.…”