KEDI Journal of Educational Policy invites papers for a special issue on ¡°Revisiting Education Fever from International Perspectives: Using Research to Inform Educational Policy.¡± The special issue is expected to be published in February 2005.

* Deadline for submission: October 2, 2004.

* Guest Editor:
Dr. Jaekyung Lee, The State University of New York at Buffalo, U.S.A.

* Special Issue Theme:
Revisiting Education Fever from International Perspectives: Using Research to Inform Educational Policy

This special issue is designed to advance our understanding of the concept of ¡°education fever¡± and address its related educational policy/practice issues from international perspectives. ¡°Education fever¡± often refers to the phenomenon of national obsession with education, particularly, parents¡¯ aspirations and support for their children¡¯s high educational attainment and achievement. While education fever in East Asian countries such as China, Japan, and Korea has contributed to their rapid educational and economic development, it produced some negative effects. Excessive competition for entering into the nation¡¯s top-tier universities and exclusive focus on academic achievement resulted in neglecting children's social and emotional development. Serious problems have been reported, including children refusing to attend school, violence in schools and homes, and school bullying. There has also been increasing public criticism expressing distrust of schools, teachers, and the education sector as a whole. We need to understand how education fever, as both individual and collective sources of energy for educational attainment and achievement, shaped the current form of education in the region. We also need to examine the phenomenon of education fever beyond the boundary of Asian countries. Indeed, something similar to education fever is also observed in many Western countries, where children¡¯s education is placed as a top priority by families with strong parental involvement in and support for education. In some countries like England and the United States, the need for educational reform arose from concerns about relatively low academic standards and poor student achievement. We can learn lessons from the experiences of different countries, although each country has its own unique problems and challenges.

This theme raises many questions, and giving answers to those questions based on research can inform educational policy. Here are some examples of those questions. How do people construct and represent the meaning of education fever? What are the historical roots and trends of education fever? What are the confluences of political, social, economic, and cultural forces on educational aspirations and choices? How does education fever play out in different countries, shaping their educational systems, practices and outcomes? How successful is formal schooling or private tutoring (e.g., cramming schools) in meeting increasingly diverse educational needs of children? How well does the society serve educational needs of adults as lifelong learners? How do demographic and social changes (e.g., globalization, knowledge-based economy, and information technology) affect the supply and demand for higher education? How can educational policymakers address the challenge of capitalizing on education fever as a driving engine for educational development while reducing its potential negative effects? How do educational reforms such as changes in school curriculum and assessment, teacher preparation, and parental involvement respond to these new challenges? The guest editor welcomes scholarly papers from international contributors, particularly ones that provide a new framework for understanding these or other issues related to education fever and give critical insights into contemporary educational policies that deal with those issues. The guest editor asks contributors to discuss implications of research findings for policy, along with recommendations for policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders in education.