184     Current Issues in Comparative Education

‘fuzziness’	of	sovereignty	and	juridical	ambiguities	may	allow	a	chance	to,	as	Baldacchino	writes,	
“exploit a situation to serve [another] purpose” (p. 27), one beyond just the economic exploitation 
for which the Law of the Sea seems intended. Perhaps, by better aligning our aquatic imaginaries 
with the physical spatialities of ocean space, we can begin to envision policies that reduce trash 
production,	prevent	ocean	pollution	and	restore	the	ocean’s	health.

Other Works Cited

Cohen, J. (1997). Estimates of coastal populations. Science, 278, 1211-1212.

Harvey, D. (1985). The Geopolitics of Capitalism. In D. Gregory & J. Urry (Eds.), Social relations and 
spatial structures (pp. 128-163). London, UK: Methuen.

Harvey, D. (1991). The condition of postmodernity: An enquiry into the origins of cultural change. 
Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Hoshaw.	L.	(2010,	Nov.	10).	Afloat	in	the	ocean,	expanding	islands	of	trash.	The New York Times.

Steinberg,	P.	E.	(1999).	Navigating	to	multiple	horizons:	Toward	a	geography	of	ocean-space.	The 
Professional Geographer, 51(3), 366-375.

Steinberg, P. E. (2001). The social construction of the ocean. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University 
Press.

– Reviewed by Katherine G. Sammler, The University of Arizona

Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching, by Charlotte Danielson. Alexandria, VA: 
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2007. 200 pp. ISBN-13: 978-1416605171

Education in Small States: Policies and Priorities, by Michael Crossley, Mark Bray, & Steve Packer. 
London, UK: Commonwealth Secretariat, 2011. 120 pp. ISBN-13: 978-1849290364

The teaching profession has been the subject of perpetual scrutiny for several reasons, but one 
of	the	most	prevalent	criticisms	is	that	educators’	practices	are	not	supported	by	standards.	It	is	
true that most professions have a set of norms regarding conduct for their members. Teachers 
also have sets of standards, but they are usually more relevant to the actual training of instructors 
or the way in which the curriculum is to be taught. The natural concern for having a benchmark 
by which professional conduct is evaluated is that school environments can vary so wildly 
within even a single district that these standards may be rendered irrelevant depending upon the 
circumstances. With this problem in mind, Charlotte Danielson does an admirable job of outlining 
the standard of conduct to which educators should strive to adhere in Enhancing Professional 
Practice: A Framework for Teaching.

Danielson’s	aim	is	elegant	in	its	simplicity:	create	a	framework	which	supports	new	teachers	while	
enhancing the abilities of veteran teachers by giving them a common language to communicate 



Current Issues in Comparative Education     185

with	one	another,	providing	a	basis	for	self-assessment,	while	always	keeping	students’	learning	
at the forefront. However, its utility falls into question due to a lack of widespread applicability 
for	atypical	learning	environments,	specifically	those	differing	from	the	United	States.	
The	 book’s	 strength	 lies	 in	 its	 ability	 to	 identify	 important	 elements	 present	 in	 the	 teaching	
profession (the idea that teachers are viewed as professionals is an important keystone of the 
book).	She	breaks	her	framework	into	four	‘domains’,	the	first	three	of	which	focus	on	teacher	
preparedness and student-teacher relations. Creating a positive learning environment with clear 
expectations and being able to demonstrate a mastery of the subject being taught are critical to 
the success of the framework. Danielson posits that if students feel respected and know what 
is	required	of	them	to	succeed	in	class	then	their	learning	will	ultimately	benefit.	These	are	not	
new or farfetched ideas, but where her framework succeeds is providing both methods that will 
serve to create such an environment and, more importantly, potential pitfalls that may arise in 
attempting	to	implement	these	ideas.	Classroom	management	is	a	notoriously	difficult	skill	 to	
master for new teachers and, instead of stating her framework as a way things must be done, it 
serves more as a guiding light by which educators can align themselves with in a way that best 
fits	their	teaching	style.

The	fourth	‘domain’	Danielson	outlines	place	an	emphasis	on	introspection	for	the	teacher	as	well	
as external learning factors. She places great weight on fostering positive, working relationships 
between	new	 instructors	 and	 their	 veteran	 counterparts.	However,	 students’	 families	 are	 also	
considered an integral part of the learning experience and uses the old adage ‘it takes a village to 
raise	a	child’	as	the	basis	for	her	work	in	this	domain.	It	is	at	this	point	that	it	intersects	with	the	
work of Crossley et al. Education in Small States: Policies and Practice.

Their work eloquently presents the tremendous challenges inherent to small states. Using 
sources and interviews from all corners of the world, they seek for the book to be a stimulus for 
policymakers to take action and create a comprehensive set of goals for small state education 
systems. Their work reads as much as a call to action as it does a plea for help in these regions. 
Throughout the book the reader is taken through the barriers to academic success both students 
and	educators	face,	and	it	is	in	this	vein	that	Danielson’s	Framework	falls	short	in	its	goal	to	create	
a baseline for professional development that is broadly applicable. 

Crossley et al. immediately point out, then consistently reinforce, the idea that frameworks 
intended for larger states are often not applicable to the small states they examined. Furthermore, 
even across small states there are a great number of contextual factors which preclude a global 
framework from being truly effectively implemented. It is also important to note that many of 
the ideas Danielson sets forth border on impossible for small states given their limited resources. 
Perhaps	the	most	glaringly	apparent	dichotomy	that	exists	between	Danielson’s	frameworks	and	
the learning environments discussed by Crossley et al. is the heavy emphasis Danielson places 
upon	 specialization.	 She	 sets	 forth	 dozens	 of	 frameworks	 for	 educators	 based	 upon	 specific	
subject areas or student types. Having teachers who are able to devote themselves to a subset of 
students is not a luxury enjoyed by the small states studied by Crossley et al.

Danielson	and	Crossley	et	al.	both	fulfill	the	intended	functions	of	their	books	to	a	limited	extent.	
Danielson demonstrates a framework for educators that is both useful and easily applicable for 
systems with adequate resources, however it is ill-equipped to handle many of the challenges 
presented by small states. Crossley et al. provide an excellent overview for readers about the 
issues that arise in small state education environments. It serves well as an informative call to 
action,	which	ultimately	is	 the	purpose	of	the	book.	Would	Danielson’s	Framework	be	able	to	



186     Current Issues in Comparative Education

be read and used in small states? Perhaps portions that speak broadly to the intrinsic nature of 
schooling itself, but it would not be useful as the global framework Danielson seeks to create.

– Reviewed by Bradley A. Kirshenbaum, Loyola University Chicago

Neither World Polity Nor Local or National Societies: Regionalization in the Global South – the Caribbean 
Community. Frankfurt-am-Main: Peter Lang, 2012. 322 pp. ISBN-13: 978-3631601044

In Neither World Polity nor Local or National Societies: Regionalization in the Global South – the Caribbean 
Community, Tavis Jules offers revealing insight on the development of education policy used 
for and within a purposefully constructed regional space. Methodologically, the book is based 
upon an analysis of policy documents, interviews and other primary sources coded to discover 
common themes embedded in efforts by policymakers within the Caribbean Community – aka 
CARICOM,	a	15-member	organization	composed	of	Anglophone	nations	of	the	Caribbean	area	–	
to	develop	a	“policyscape”	(Carney,	2009)	which	would	provide	benefits	for	each	member	in	ways	
they could not attain on their own. To this end, the book uses education policy to unearth how, 
through functional cooperation, these countries came together to form a trans-regional regime to 
help promote global awareness of the fragility and vulnerability of the Caribbean region. Further, 
CARICOM set up the Caribbean Single Market Economy (CSME), established the tenets of the 
“Ideal Caribbean Person,” and enabled the construction of the Caribbean Educational Policy 
Space (CEPS) to further educational development.

The book is divided into three main parts. In Part One, “The Limits of the World Polity Inquest,” 
Jules introduces the reader to the theoretical base upon which the book is built, with individual 
sections given such titles as “The Substratum of Neo-Institutionalism,” “Dogmatic Isomorphic 
Tendencies,”	 and	 “Amalgamating	 Lesson-Drawing,	 Externalization,	 and	 Policy	 Transfer.”	 In	
general, this opening section is not for the masses; it requires a good foundation in the theories of 
neo-institutionalism, policy formation, and transfer and lesson-drawing in order to understand 
the	complex	manner	in	which	the	author	begins	to	showcase	his	findings	and	draw	conclusions.	
As the book is a discussion of an institution formed by and inclusive of nations with similar 
histories and populations, Jules uses “the neo-institutionalist school of thought (guided by 
John	Meyer,	Francisco	Ramirez,	and	others)	focused	on	the	‘increase	in	the	common	education	
principles,	policies,	and	practices	among	countries	with	various	characteristics’”	(p.	40)	to	show	
how	CARICOM	came	to	be	and	its	effects	on	three	different	levels:	how	each	nation’s	policies	
relate to each other, to those of the regime, and to those on an international level. Jules grounds 
his research within neo-institutionalism, and his data is drawn from in-person interviews and 
document	analysis.	The	discussion	of	the	findings	remains	at	the	discursive	level;	the	book	does	
not focus on how policy intersects with local context or practice. 

Part	Two,	“Caribbeanization:	Regional	Educational	Policy-Making	and	National	Metamorphoses”	
begins with a history of the evolution of regionalism within the Caribbean, starting with 
colonialism,	The	West	Indies	Federation,	and	finally	the	birth	of	CARICOM.	A	detailing	of	the	
structure of CARICOM and several of its divisions, here called “organs,” follows. The policy 
analysis begins next, as the author details the emergence of the CSME, the outcome of years 
of	policy	debate,	exchange,	interpretation,	and	implementation.	As	the	CSME	is	a	reflection	of	
CARICOM’s	economic	vision,	Jules	spends	less	time	on	it	than	he	does	on	the	efforts	that	led	to	
the CEPS. Several sections including, “National Education Systems,” “Education in the Region: