Explaining Whole System Reform in Small States: The Case of the Trinidad and Tobago Secondary Education Modernization Program

Oct 15, 2026

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Analyzes drivers and impediments to secondary school reform in Trinidad and Tobago between 1999 and 2009, using international assessment data indicating limited gains in system quality and equity. Frames reform explanation through policy levers and barriers in whole system reform theory, then bridges it with contextualized small state and postcolonial theories. Identifies ambiguity, coherence, and stringency as key barriers, and leadership, support, and participation as contextualized drivers, while incorporating donor-recipient dynamics and the roles of smallness and colonial history in shaping change outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Drivers and impediments to secondary reform (1999-2009)

The context of education reform in small states

Donor-driven reform and indigenous knowledge

Education and social development goals in SIDS

Explaining whole system reform in small states

Bridging system reform and contextualized theories

The trajectory of reforming secondary education in Trinidad and Tobago

Reform phases and funding sources

Explaining Whole System Reform in Small States: The Case of the Trinidad and Tobago Secondary Education Modernization Program Jerome De Lisle The University of the West Indies This paper analyzes drivers and impediments to secondary school reform in Trinidad and Tobago during the period from 1999 to 2009. International assessment data suggested limited progress on improving system quality and equity. Several policy levers and barriers have been defined in current system reform theory. However, explanations for the failure or success of education reforms in Commonwealth small states must also consider theory related to their unique contexts, namely smallness and colonial history. In this study, whole system reform theory is bridged with contextualized small state and postcolonial theories to analyze themes derived from a qualitative analysis of experiences in a major reform project for the secondary school sector. The identified barriers to change were ambiguity, coherence, and stringency and the contextualized drivers were leadership, support, and participation. Small state and postcolonial theory had added explanatory value, providing more precise insights into the specific impediments to change within these contexts. The Context of Education Reform in Small States In the recent past, education reform in countries of the Global South has been mostly externally directed by funding agencies such as the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) . In such instances, uncritical transfer of best practice from donor countries may have impeded efforts at change (Ibrahim, 2010). Increasingly, however, the relationship between donorsand recipients is dependent also upon the strength of the recipient country’s economy (Johnson, 2006; Perry & Tor, 2008). Thus, less vulnerable countries have been able to develop collaborative partnerships with funding agencies in which indigenous sources of knowledge and local goals are used to plan and direct change (Tan, 2010) . The issues of successful educational reform, use of indigenous knowledge in implementation, and uncritical education transfer are especially relevant to the small island nation developing states (SIDS) of the Anglophone Caribbean (Louisy, 2004) . Improving education systems as a component of social development is a critical developmental goal for SIDS, given the need to build economic resilience to help cope with the vicissitudes of globalization (Briguglio, Cordina, Farrugia, & Vella, 2009) . Traditionally, the SIDS of the Anglophone Caribbean have invested heavily in education (Crossley, Bray, & Packer, 2011) . However, the comparative lack of success in achieving sustainable reform points to the need for theory to better explain education change in these contexts (Louisy, 2004; Hickling-Hudson, 2006) . Considering the social, economic, and political context of small island nation states is especially critical when considering education change and development. The SIDS categorization captures two notable contextual features of the Anglophone Caribbean: smallness and islandness. The feature of “islandness” may enhance the impact of contextual features associated with smallness such as vulnerability to economic shocks and natural disasters (Encontre, 1999) . For SIDS, place vulnerability relates to economic, geographic, and socio-political factors (Briguglio, 1995; Turvey, 2007) . © 2012 Current Issues in Comparative Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Current Issues in Comparative Education 15(1): 64-82. Explaining Whole System Reform in Small States This paper analyzes the IDB funded reform of secondary education within Trinidad and Tobago, one of the high income nation states in the Anglophone Caribbean. The focus in particular is on identifying facilitators and barriers to whole system reform. In developing a theory of change, the paper attempts to bridge current system reform theory developed in a Western contex

FAQs

What does the study analyze about Trinidad and Tobago’s secondary education reform?

It analyzes drivers and impediments to secondary school reform during 1999-2009, focusing on factors shaping whole system reform outcomes.

How does the paper explain reform success or failure in small Commonwealth states?

It bridges whole system reform theory with contextualized small state and postcolonial theories to account for smallness and colonial history alongside standard policy explanations.

Which barriers and drivers does the study identify as most important for change?

Barriers to change are ambiguity, coherence, and stringency, while contextualized drivers are leadership, support, and participation.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by jayni