Education policy for the common (good): reshaping education, societies, and citizenship

This Special Issue argues that contemporary education policy can no longer be grounded in the ontological, epistemological and axiological assumptions of modernity. In a context marked by deepening global inequalities, ecological degradation and the erosion of democratic institutions, education policies require rethinking their purposes, actors and modes of governance. Drawing on critical policy sociology and recent UNESCO reports, the introduction advances the paradigm of education as a common good as a promising alternative to dominant market-oriented and state-centred approaches. The commons perspective challenges long-standing dichotomies that have structured education policy debates, such as public-private, individual-collective, and global-local, and calls for new institutional arrangements based on participation, shared responsibility and collective use. The Special Issue contributes to the emerging field of educational commons by exploring how education can be conceived, governed and practised beyond enclosure, commodification and instrumentalism. It brings theoretical and empirical contributions that examine commons-based educational initiatives across diverse contexts, highlighting their potential to foster democratic participation, social justice and new forms of subjectivity. Overall, it seeks to advance education policy research by moving beyond modern paradigms and engaging with the commons as a transformative framework for reshaping education, societies and citizenship in troubled times.