Comparative Educational Research: the need for reconceptualisation and fresh insights

This paper argues that a century after Michael Sadler's famous speech on ‘How far can we learn anything of practical value from the study of foreign systems of education?’ the turn of a new century/millennium provides a useful opportunity to think afresh about comparative and international education as a field of study. It provides six justifications, or needs, for a reconceptualisation, arguing that the challenges and changes facing education systems world‐wide offer a unique opportunity for compara‐tivists to help to shape future policies.