CHARLENE TAN Charlene Tan (PhD) is an associate professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. A former high school teacher in Singapore, she has taught for close to two decades in a variety of education settings. Her research focuses on the philosophical and comparative aspects of education with a particular interest in Confucian education, education policy in China and Singapore, critical thinking, and Islamic/Muslim education. She has (co)authored 7 books and over 100 refereed journal articles and book chapters. Her recent books include Learning from Shanghai: Lessons on Achieving Educational Success (Springer), Confucius (Bloomsbury), Educational Policy Borrowing in China: Looking West or Looking East? (Routledge) and Islamic Education and Indoctrination: The Case in Indonesia (Routledge). Her forthcoming book is on high-performing education systems in Asia.
In this interview, part of the Lead the Change Series of the American Educational Research Association Educational Change Special Interest Group, Tan talks about her experiences and work on topics such as Confucianism and education and educational policy borrowing in China and Singapore.
In my view, the promise of public schools is a promise of hope t o all children , particularly those from low socioeconomic status and girls who would otherwise be
trapped in a poverty cycle and social oppression. As someone who was educated
in public schools all the way from kindergarten to university, I can testify to the
transformational power of such institutions.
This Lead the Change interview appears as part of a series that features experts from around the globe, highlights promising research and practice, and offers expert insight on small- and large-scale educational change. Recently Lead the Change has also interviewed Emerson Rolkouski.
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