Education Policy and Reform in China

Education reform is never only about classrooms. In Education Policy and Reform in China, Guangli Zhou and Xiang Zhou trace how changes to schools, universities, and education policy intersect with wider social and economic transformation. The result is a policy-centered account that moves from early childhood and compulsory schooling to the governance of universities and the ambition to build world-class institutions.

From access and fairness to system-wide change

The first part looks at efforts to improve the education system across different stages and settings. Its chapters address preschool provision, balanced development in compulsory education, migrant children’s right to schooling, vocational pathways, private education, and the evaluation of higher education. Together, these subjects bring questions of access, institutional design, and educational quality into focus.

Higher education under the policy lens

The second part turns to institutional innovation and reform in higher education. It considers lifelong education, the college entrance examination, teaching personnel systems, university governance, postgraduate education and degrees, the development of innovative talent, and China’s pursuit of world-class universities.

A connected view of reform

Rather than treating each policy area in isolation, the book places specific reforms within a broader discussion of social change, education modernization, and governance. That structure helps readers follow how issues ranging from educational opportunity to university autonomy fit into a larger account of system development.

For readers of education policy and China studies

This volume will interest readers studying Chinese education, comparative and international education, education policy, and higher-education systems. Its breadth also makes it a useful point of reference for readers who want to understand how reform debates span the full path from preschool learning to university institutions.