3141 Chestnut Street • Randell Hall, Suite 235 • Philadelphia, PA 19104-2875 • TEL 215.895.6372 • FAX 215.895.2142 • www.drexel.edu/international
D. Brent Edwards Jr.
Assistant Clinical Professor
School of Education – Policy, Organization, and Leadership
Comparative and International Education Society
At the annual conference of the Comparative and
International Education Society (CIES, March 6-10, 2016), I participated in a number of events that contributed to my own professional development and that also served to raise the profile of Drexel University and, in particular, the Global and International Education Master’s program with which I primarily work. Specifically, my participation in the CIES conference included, among other things, the activities described below:
The presentation of two papers, one each on two different panels. The first presentation was titled “A perfect storm: The political economy of community-based management, teacher accountability, and impact evaluations in El Salvador and the global reform agenda.” This paper is based on a chapter in a recently published book.
Moreover, the paper was presented on a panel that featured authors from that book and was used as an opportunity to promote the book’s recent publication.
The second presentation was titled “Meeting expectations? A look at UNESCO’s leadership on EFA, production of the GMR, and their implications for organizational legitimacy in the global education policy field.” The fact that this panel was organized by—and included as a presenter—the director of the Global Education Monitoring
Report was fortuitous, as it meant that the panel was very well attending. It was standing room only, with folks seated in the aisles and on the floor in the front.
Also at the conference, I was able to act in the capacity of co-chair of the Globalization and Education Special Interest Group, a group with 275 members. Beyond running the business meeting—through which we identified opportunities for further engagement of the SIG with its membership—I was able (a) to host a social event for the SIG’s members, (b) to organize a ‘highlighted panel’ that focused on global education policies, and (c) to host a keynote address that focused on the relationship between globalization and higher education. Leading such activities allows me to engage in professional service, but it also extends the Drexel name.
Lastly, I participated in the CIES awards ceremony, as I was the recipient of the dissertation award for the Latin America SIG of the CIES.

3141 Chestnut Street • Randell Hall, Suite 235 • Philadelphia, PA 19104-2875 • TEL 215.895.6372 • FAX 215.895.2142 • www.drexel.edu/international
Through my involvement in the above activities, I met and networked with rising stars and established scholars who are interested in future collaboration. These scholars are located at such universities as the University of Auckland (New Zealand), Nagoya
University (Japan), Kyoto University (Japan), University College London (UK),
Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain), and Florida International University (USA).