Processes and practices around educational policy-making and implementation have radically changed. Modern markers such as globalization and the mediatisation of policy necessitate a reconceptualising of education policy and policy analyses. Within this context, this EDST research cluster investigates where and how educational policy research is informed by these social, political, and economic forces.

Additionally, this cluster aims to engage communities in explorations of education policy alternatives in the 21st century. While the central interest of the cluster is the field of education, policies from other arenas are relevant to the educational sector (e.g., sustainability policy, urban policy, intellectual property policy, environmental policy, and immigration policy).

Through the individual expertise of cluster members, we explore intersections between policies at various levels of education.

Research topics include: K–12 schooling, adult basic education, workplace education, community education, higher education, and lifelong learning in diverse national, regional, and international contexts.

Five main areas of focus are:

1. Critical policy studies
2. International and comparative policy studies
3. Policy and critical leadership studies
4. Media and policy studies
5. Conceptual and methodological frameworks in policy studies