This descriptive implementation case study examines how trauma-informed education was operationalized and scaled through an online learning modality during the ongoing war in Ukraine. The course was developed through a critical collaboration between the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) at Columbia University, the Ukraine Children's Action Project (UCAP), and educational stakeholders in Ukraine and Poland. The course was designed to equip educators with practical, relational strategies to support children as they navigate education amid war, displacement, and prolonged crisis. Grounded in the dual frameworks of Trauma-Informed Education (TIE) and Education in Emergencies (EiE), the curriculum development process emphasized localization, accessibility, and learner engagement through an iterative approach with expert teachers, psychologists, trauma specialists, and instructional designers from Ukraine, Poland, and the United States. Early evaluation findings from 172 teacher respondents indicated high levels of perceived value and satisfaction. Qualitative analysis further identified ongoing professional development needs related to child-centered trauma recovery, teacher well-being and burnout prevention, inclusive education, and sustaining human connection among teachers, students, and families. These findings suggest that online learning serves as an effective, scalable modality for trauma-informed education during active conflict, while highlighting the broader, long-term support needs educators face in navigating crisis environments.
This study analyzes differences between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) global scripts and how they influence Sweden’s refugee education reform. This study examines human rights-based policies as recommended in the UNHCR’s Refugee Education 2030: A Strategy for Refugee Inclusion (2023) and human capital-based policies in the OECD’s Strength Through Diversity: Spotlight Report for Sweden (2019). I compare these recommendations to the enacted policies outlined in the Swedish Ministry of Education’s legal framework, the School Act. I argue that tensions between human rights and human capital in Sweden’s refugee education reform are exacerbated by global pressures, supporting world society theory. The findings reveal the degree of alignment between each international governmental organization’s policy recommendations and Sweden’s refugee education reforms, contributing to the literature on refugee education both globally and in Sweden.
As humanitarian education becomes increasingly reliant on digital infrastructures, moral values governing access, protection, and recognition are now mediated through data and algorithmic decision-making. This paper develops the concept of algorithmic morality to analyze how digital governance systems reorder educational values in humanitarian settings. Employing critical document analysis of policy texts, technical specifications, and documented cases, the paper maps how humanitarian ideals move across the three analytical sites of articulation, encoding, and encounter. Three patterns emerge: relational dimensions of educational value compress into individual metrics, procedural flexibility hardens into algorithmic thresholds, and ethical imperatives transform into severity rankings. Cases from Jordan and Kenya illustrate the functioning and the limits of this logic. The paper makes two contributions. First, it conceptualizes algorithmic morality as a field-level logic that actively constitutes moral worth rather than operationalizing pre-existing values. Second, it introduces a moral-technical analytic for examining digital systems as moral infrastructures. As global disorder intensifies and digital humanitarianism expands, the central challenge is not a shortage of data but a crisis of meaning: the marginalization of relational and contextual dimensions of humanitarian education that resist computational reduction.
This paper examines how Czech reforms in initial teacher education (2020–2025) reframe the teacher’s role from a transmitter of knowledge to a relational and reflective professional. This agenda gains urgency as schooling is increasingly tasked with navigating contested values and civic life. The study combines a purposive analysis of key policy and curriculum documents with a dialogic and embodied lens informed by Buber’s I–Thou/I–It distinction and Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of embodiment. The analysis shows how competence frameworks and related reform texts promote constructivist orientations that foreground learner agency, teacher self-reflection, dialogic interaction, and professional identity formation, alongside cooperative and project-based learning and formative, criterion-referenced assessment. At the same time, persistent implementation frictions are identified, including fragmented early-career learning, mismatched expectations between graduates and employers, uneven treatment of media and civic education, and challenges in assessing relational and embodied competences without resorting to reductive checklists. The paper concludes by outlining implications for aligning programme outcomes, learning environments, practicum, and induction with dialogic and embodied competences in civic/social science teacher preparation.
Visions of Korean unification draw not only on historical imaginaries of ethnic nationalism (Grinker, 1998) but continue to be shaped by South Korea’s neoliberal values and aspirations for deeper integration into global market orders (Park, 2015). Despite projections that neoliberalism may be waning (Gerstle, 2022; Vallely, 2024), neoliberal logics continue to organize South Korean state technologies of governance that emphasize self-management. These late capitalist rationalities shape both how North Korean migrants are incorporated into South Korean society and the forms of recognition made available to them. Drawing on human capital theory (HCT), this paper examines how North Korean migrant youth are positioned through neoliberal frameworks of value, productivity, and future-oriented investment. Through interviews with North Korean migrants and analysis of state media and discursive artifacts, this paper argues that South Korean neoliberalism shapes the way state and civil society actors frame North Korean migrants as human capital to be cultivated for the anticipated project of national unification.
Although teacher job satisfaction and self-efficacy are widely recognised as important for student learning and well-being, little is known about how their effects differ across educational contexts. This study examines how these factors shape student outcomes in Indonesian Islamic (IS) and non-Islamic/general (NS) secondary schools. Using a two-stage stratified sampling method, data were collected from 1,319 students in 64 classrooms, and multigroup and multilevel path analysis (Mplus 8.10) was conducted to assess cross-level relationships. The findings show clear differences between school types. In NS, teacher job satisfaction (TCJOBS) directly predicted student achievement, whereas in IS, its effect operated indirectly through student motivation. Teacher self-efficacy (TCEFF) directly improved achievement in IS, but in NS, it influenced achievement indirectly through TCJOBS. Job status strongly predicted TCJOBS, with permanent teachers reporting higher satisfaction, and gender differences showed higher self-efficacy among female teachers. While TCJOBS and TCEFF were not directly linked to student well-being or anxiety, higher student well-being consistently enhanced achievement and reduced anxiety in both school systems. This study demonstrates how teacher-related factors operate differently across educational frameworks, offering important insights for targeted policy and professional development.
This study investigates pedagogical practices for managing large classes in Malawi's primary education system, where overcrowded classrooms, driven by Free Primary Education and global education agendas, strain limited resources. Utilizing an exploratory research design, data were collected from six Teacher Training Colleges and nine public teaching practice schools across Malawi’s six education divisions. Participants included teacher educators, student teachers, teachers, head teachers, and teaching practice coordinators. Qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews, focus group discussions, questionnaires, and classroom observations, were employed to examine effective pedagogical strategies, challenges, and patterns in large class instruction. Findings indicate that group work is the primary strategy used, with group leaders acting as assistant teachers and behavior monitors. However, challenges such as limited space, insufficient learning materials, and time constraints hinder effective implementation. Heterogeneous grouping and peer teaching are common but limit engagement due to dominant learners and resource scarcity. Barriers such as space limitations, material shortages, and time pressures interact to constrain sound pedagogy, forcing teachers to prioritize assessment over instruction. The Initial Primary Teacher Education Curriculum lacks adequate focus on large class management, and systemic issues, including low remuneration and limited professional development, demotivate educators. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support effective teaching in resource-constrained, overcrowded classrooms.
This conceptual article investigates the rationales for the fascination with soft skills (social-emotional skills, responsibility, engagement, etc.), propelled by a large and diverse group of proponents, including international organizations—such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank—that have a long-standing history with promoting hard skills, such as literacy and numeracy. It (i) outlines several reasons why global actors promote the development of soft skills, agentic teaching and learning, and social accountability; (ii) traces the evolution of social accountability—the regulatory mechanism behind the current E-Government or New Public Governance reform—by sequencing the global public administration reforms of the past five decades; and finally, (iii) examines the challenges of social accountability in today’s divisive societies plagued by information pollution, anti-globalization sentiments, and distrust in government.
This paper examines the role of Climate Change Education (CCE) within UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD for 2030) framework, focusing on its selective adoption in the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet) in Brazil and Germany. Drawing on the concept of global scripts, the study analyzes school websites (N=514) alongside four in-depth case studies to explore how schools integrate learning about climate and environmental sustainability. The findings reveal that while ESD’s broad and flexible framing allows for widespread diffusion, CCE remains unevenly integrated. In Germany, UNESCO schools are predominantly public and often emphasize sustainability and international aid projects. In Brazil, private schools play a larger role, and the analyzed websites show a stronger emphasis on socioemotional learning and bilingual education, reflecting the different types of schools represented in the two national samples. The paper demonstrates that although ASPnet holds potential to act as an innovative space for CCE, CCE has yet to become a clear priority in the network.
This qualitative study explores how Haitian-heritage adult women in a rural batey in the Dominican Republic understand and experience literacy. Drawing on one-on-one and group interviews with eight women enrolled in an adult literacy program, the research centers the voices of learners often marginalized in wider society. Through an inductive thematic analysis, the study reveals that participants view literacy not only as the ability to read and write, but as a form of empowerment closely tied to multilingualism, personal agency, and social participation. This study contributes to broader conversations about literacy as a social practice and the transformative potential of adult literacy education in contexts shaped by historical, structural, and protracted inequities.
The term policy pervasion describes the influence of visa and study permit policies on the lives of international students, based on findings for students studying in Australia, Canada, and the United States. This conceptual article works to elaborate and expand on the concept of policy pervasion in two complementary ways. The first section explores the manifestation of policy pervasion in different national contexts and draws on news, literature, and the author’s own international student support experiences to refine the concept of policy pervasion as a crucial component of the international student experience globally. The second section introduces the idea of “organizational policy pervasion,” wherein the activities, processes, or decisions of higher education institutions are impacted by policy pervasion considerations. From there, the article proposes a tool for guiding or instigating responses that constitute a caring, productive, and student-centered organizational policy pervasion. The article concludes with an outline of potentially fruitful future research paths related to (organizational) policy pervasion, as well as clarification of the theoretical and practical utility of both forms of policy pervasion.
This empirical case study considers the experience of scholarship students participating in the Janelas Abertas program from 2017 to 2022 at Escola Eleva, an elite international school in Rio de Janeiro. Using ethnographically-inspired methods and an assemblage theory framework, the study challenges dominant narratives about elite schooling by analyzing how racially and socioeconomically diverse scholarship students both shaped and were shaped by the school community. Narrative interviews with scholarship recipients reveal interconnected individual and collective transformation organized around three themes: confronting racism, fostering economic solidarity, and (re)affirming identities. The findings show that the students were integral to an assemblage that de/reterritorialized traditional notions of an elite school. This case contributes to research on racial and socioeconomic diversity in private international schools by offering a Brazilian example in which scholarship students were not passive markers of diversity but were conscious of the political and social significance of their belonging to the school.
This article focuses on the PeaceJam Foundation Ambassadors Curriculum, analyzing how its content and structure align with a Transformative Human Rights Education (THRE) approach. A THRE approach centers on creating social change and encourages youth to analyze structures and conditions that lead to injustice. It embraces emancipatory learning strategies and promotes social change through both individual actions to address human rights violations, as well as through collective action to work toward wider community development. In this article, the author examines the strengths and limitations of how the curriculum’s content, structure, and context align with a THRE approach. The analysis includes takeaways for the wider field about developing quality human rights programming centered on community-engaged praxis, youth participation, transformative agency, and empowerment.
New data streams highlight the low levels of access to climate finance by the most climate-vulnerable countries, which struggle with conflict and displacement and call for more effective financing mechanisms. While such measures are urgent, their effectiveness and impact depend on investments in capacity development and education. In exploring recent international policy trends in climate, conflict, and displacement, this article argues for greater attention to endogenous capacities and implementation of science-informed approaches. It highlights the key role academia and the education sector can play in addressing these gaps. In contexts where conflict and displacement are ongoing, and climate and insecurity jeopardize sustainability, this paper argues that strengthened capacities can represent a critical adaptation measure and a no-regrets investment opportunity.
Our paper is a collaborative autoethnography exploring the intersection of environmental crises, personal experiences, and education through the narratives of two educators, Maha Shoaib and Sarah Kistner. Reflecting on the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and the 2021 Texas Freeze, we explore how systemic inequities and inadequate preparedness exacerbate the impacts of disasters on marginalized communities, disproportionately disrupting educational systems. We argue for climate-just education as a restorative and healing approach, addressing inequities at the school, community, and individual levels. Climate-just education proposes a holistic framework for trauma-informed and climate-responsive education, emphasizing preparedness, mutual support, and the creation of open spaces for teachers and students to share, heal, and rebuild. At the individual level, practices such as the Butterfly Hug Technique, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and Yoga Nidra are presented as tools for fostering self-healing and mutual healing among students and teachers. Concluding with a vision for climate-just education, we advocate for reimagining schools as transformative spaces that empower communities to adapt to and recover from environmental crises while fostering emotional resilience, equity, and sustainability.
This study analyzes teacher resilience in light of the 2022 floods in Balochistan, Pakistan, as teachers were displaced. It explores the challenges primary school teachers faced during this climate-induced displacement, how they coped, and the role of community and institutional support in continuing education. Using semi-structured interviews and focus groups (n=15), the study reveals how teachers adapted to teaching methodologies, negotiated emotional and psychological challenges, and utilized community resources to overcome the devastation brought about by floods. The findings show that teachers employed several adaptive strategies: remote teaching, collaborating with colleagues, and enacting personal resilience mechanisms such as emotional regulation and social support networks. The study revealed stark differences in how urban teachers experienced the floods compared to that of rural teachers, including hurdles imposed on teachers in rural areas due to a lack of resources, infrastructure, or both. The results are critical in guiding future educational policies and teacher development programs in disaster-prone areas in Pakistan, informing the operational needs of educators during post-disaster recovery, and urging a long-term approach to enhance the resilience of educational systems.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Education for Sustainable Development roadmap (ESD 2030) is a policy document that reiterates the urgency of the climate crisis and affirms the central role of education in ensuring the survival of the planet. Building on nearly two decades of international policy on education for sustainable development, ESD 2030 highlights priority areas and recommendations for integrating education for sustainable development at all levels of society. Despite its urgent call to action, there is little to no attention paid to systemic issues such as capitalism and racism and their role in accelerating the climate crisis. This essay critically analyzes the ESD 2030 framework and makes a case for reckoning with past and present systemic injustice to combat the climate crisis effectively. It examines how modernity has functioned as a justification for colonial conquests and exploitation, and the role of racism in perpetuating the dehumanization that makes such activities possible. While ESD 2030 implicitly attempts to integrate empathy and relationality in its approach to sustainability education, this essay draws from Black critical theorists to argue why relationality should confront racism and racialized violence for it to have an enduring impact in education. The essay spotlights ways in which environmental education is taking a more critical and race-inclusive approach while honoring the principles that ESD 2030 proposes.
This qualitative case study evaluates the impact of the 1.5 MAX initiative on Climate Change Education (CCE) in Malawian secondary schools through the dual lens of Education for Sustainable Development and decolonial theory. Malawi’s curricula prioritize Western agricultural models over Indigenous knowledge, resulting in fragmented implementation due to teacher training gaps, resource shortages, and a stark divide between students’ climate knowledge and actionable engagement. While the 1.5 MAX initiative enhances climate awareness and practical skills through interactive methods, its effectiveness is constrained by limited teacher preparedness, curricular misalignment, and systemic resource limitations. The research highlights the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge and adapting content to local contexts for greater relevance and effectiveness. By applying a decolonial lens, this research critiques the dominance of Western epistemologies in global educational initiatives and advocates for the co-creation of knowledge that centers local agency and context-specific solutions. While demonstrating the potential of international educational initiatives to complement local curricula, the study underscores the need for sustainable support systems and expanded teacher training. Future research should assess the long-term impacts of such interventions and explore strategies for aligning global practices with local needs, while dismantling colonial legacies to foster a more equitable and inclusive educational landscape.
In "The Ages of Globalization," Jeffrey D. Sachs presents a critical examination of the historical interactions between geography, technology, and institutions, challenging conventional narratives of global development that often prioritize Western perspectives. This book review engages with Sachs' work through the lenses of critical pedagogy and decolonial critiques, exploring how his insights can inform more equitable and contextually responsive educational practices. By delineating seven distinct ages of globalization, Sachs provides a framework for understanding the implications of global processes on education, particularly in the context of sustainable development and international partnerships. The review highlights the importance of recognizing diverse epistemological foundations and the need for educational systems to adapt to the complexities of a globalized world. Additionally, it discusses the accompanying course, "Ages of Globalization," which aims to deepen students' understanding of these themes through interactive learning experiences. The review underscores Sachs' call for education to serve as a catalyst for equity and sustainability, inviting educators and policymakers to foster innovative practices that empower future generations to address pressing global challenges.
