ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how peer review helped unearth challenges and strengths of different national systems and built active networks of government officials, researchers, and practitioners focused on improving policies for young children. Education has been an integral part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) program of work for many years. The culmination of the first review was the 2001 publication of Starting Strong: Early Childhood Education and Care, which analyzes policy developments across countries, highlights innovative approaches, and proposes policy options that can be adapted to different contexts. Findings from international studies are often politicized. Steiner-Khamsi identifies three common political reactions to the findings from international studies: Scandalization – Glorification – and Indifference–. Given the rapidly dynamic situation of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in many countries, cross-national researchers need to be sensitive to changes underway and to the future directions of policy.
