Book Review: Dire Straits-Education Reforms: Ideology, Vested Interests and Evidence by Montserrat Gomendio and José Ignacio Wert

Abstract

Education, as a practical activity to improve the comprehensive quality of human beings, not only plays a role in the transmission and inheritance of culture but also has intimate ties to the growth of life and development of economy and society. In this book, the authors Montserrat Gomendio and José Ignacio Wert discuss the reasons why education reforms are difficult to implement but easy to reverse, taking into account the valuable evidence they have obtained in designing and implementing education reforms in Spain and their subsequent experience at the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) advising governments worldwide. This dialogue on education is like a breath of fresh air for the reader. By comparing education policies from an international perspective and analyzing the interplay between education reforms, ideology and vested interests, the authors provide insights into the positive and negative factors that influence education reforms. The book consists of seven chapters.