Research is key to improving our understanding of education, and is central to developing innovative and effective educational policy and improving standards of education across the globe. This latest edition of the "World Yearbook of Education" turns its attention to a comparative study of recent and current research around the world, with contributions from leading academics from the US, Canada, South America, Europe, Russia, South Africa, the Middle East, Australasia and the Pacific Rim. The effects of research on the development of educational policy in a number of different political contexts are also explored, documenting how current research is being shaped to provide a valuable overview of the tensions and issues surrounding the subject. Divided into three key themes, the "World Yearbook of Education 2006" looks at: globalised policy and research in education; steering education policy in national contexts; global-local politics of education research.