[ch. 1] Why is it important: the story so far; What is education for?; Why is education around the world so comparable?; The emergence of comparative education; International education -- [ch. 2] The nature of the interdisciplinary field and its development; Introduction; The nature of education: an interdisciplinary field; Factors and sub-disciplines; Dramatis personae; Continuing the story of comparative education; Comparative and international education today; Conclusion -- [ch. 3] A global overview: legacies and inertias; Education institutions and complexity; Global convergence of education policies and practices; How can this be explained?; Policy reception and selective adaptation; The international policy problem of 'inclusion' -- [ch. 4] Scale, space and place with reference to the United States of America and the world of small states; Introduction; Scale and comparative education enquiry; The case of the USA; The world of the small states; Conclusion -- [ch. 5] National and international educational development; Introduction; Human capital theory; Modernization and development; The Washington consensus; Problems and issues -- [ch. 6] Europe: issues and comparisons; Introduction; The european and the national in education; Building a european area of education -- [ch. 7] Sub-Saharan Africa: Legacies and innovation; Introduction; Cultural and colonial legacies; Education colonialism and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa; Post-conflict realities and responses; Gender, education and development; Teachers as change agents in sub-Saharan Africa; Tertiary education, ICT and sustainable survival; Conclusion -- [ch. 8] Rising stars: Brazil, Russia, India and The People's Republic of China (The BRIC states); Introduction; Transition, modernization and reform; Educational inequality and poverty; Higher education and development; Conclusion.