in our [own education systems] which need prompt and searching
change.
Once the analyst has identified problems, the next logical step is to solu‐
tions. Isaac Kandel was a key figure in the generation which followed
Sadler’s. Kandel’s 1933 book (p.xix) listed a set of problems which, he sug‐
gested, raised universal questions. Kandel then pointed out that:
The chief value of a comparative approach to such problems lies in
an analysis of the causes which have produced them, in a compari‐
son of the differences between the various systems and the reasons
underlying them, and, finally, in a study of the solutions attempted.
The tone of such a statement is more closely allied to theoretical goals; and
Kandel’s book to some extent established a tradition into which the present
book fits. However, the field of comparative education has evolved in very
significant ways since Kandel wrote those words. Some ways in which it
has evolved, and some valuable ways to promote understanding through
the use of different units for comparison, will become evident in the chap‐
ters which follow.