Book excerpt: This thematic encyclopedia provides an overview of education as undertaken in the United States and in 70 countries worldwide and links educational organization, philosophy, and practice with important global social, economic, and environmental issues facing the contemporary world. All around the world, young people attend school, be it in the steppes of Mongolia, the tiny island nations of the Pacific, or the urban centers of Mexico. How do countries meet the educational needs of their citizens? This volume is organized into 10 chapters that look at key issues in global education, including literacy, gender, religion, science and technology (STEM), arts and humanities, school violence, multicultural education and diversity, environment and sustainability, education and difference/special needs, and views on education and a country's future. Each chapter contains eight country profiles, one for the United States and one each for seven other countries. Each entry includes a brief overview of the country and its history and geography, a description of its K–12 education system, and more detailed information about that country with respect to the appropriate topic. This book allows readers to compare and contrast education throughout the world. It also analyzes, from both contemporary and historical perspectives, relationships between education and the ways in which different countries address various issues, including development, diversity, gender, and environmental sustainability.