Acknowledgements; Notes on contributors; Preface Colleen McLaughlin and Michael Evans;Foreward Shigeo Katsu; Introduction David Bridges and Aida Sagintayeva; Part 1. The Recent History of Educational Reform in Kazakhstan: 1. Educational reform in Kazakhstan - the first decade of independence Natallia Yakavets; 2. Educational reform in Kazakhstan - entering the world arena Natallia Yakavets and Makpal Dzhadrina; 3. Educational reform in Kazakhstan - the contemporary policy agenda Olena Fimyar, Natallia Yakavets and David Bridges; Part 2. Changing Educational Culture and Practices: 4. Implementing radical change - Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools as agents of change Kulyash Shamshidinova, Nazipa Ayubayeva and David Bridges; 5. Centres of excellence - systemwide transformation of teaching practice Fay Turner, Elaine Wilson, Svetlana Ispussinova, Yermek Kassymbekov, Assel Sharimova, Bakhty Balgynbayeva and Simon Brownhill; 6. The culture and practice of assessment in Kazakhstan - the unified national test, past and present Liz Winter, Cristina Rimini, Arailym Soltanbekova and Madina Tynybayeva; 7. The culture and practice of assessment in Kazakhstan - an alternative model and the future Liz Winter, Cristina Rimini, Arailym Soltanbekova, and Madina Tynybayeva; 8. Three in one? Trilingualism in policy and educationalpractice Peeter Mehisto, Assel Kambatyrova and Khalida Nurseitova; 9. 'Soviet', 'Kazakh' and 'worldclass' in the contemporary construction of educational understanding and practice in Kazakhstan Olena Fimyar; 10. Towards inclusive education - swimming against the tide of educational reform Martyn Rouse, Natallia Yakavets and Anel Kulakhmetova; 11. The role of the school director in educational reform in Kazakhstan David Frost, Olena Fimyar, Natallia Yakavets and DarkhanBilyalov; 12. The role of the teacher in educational reform in Kazakhstan - teacher enquiry as a vehicle for change Colleen McLaughlin, Ros McLellan and Michael Fordham with Andrew Chandler-Grevatt and Alison Daubney; Part 3. The International and Intranational Translation of Educational Policy and Practice: 13. Lost - and found - in translation? Interpreting the processes of the international and intranational translation of educational policy and practice in Kazakhstan David Bridges Kairat Kurakbayev and Assel Kambatyrova; 14. Transferability and the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools - exploring models of practice transfer Alan Ruby and Colleen McLaughlin;15. Translating pedagogical 'excellence' into three languages or how Kazakhstani teachers 'change' Olena Fimyar; The Way Forward: 16. Towards the next stages of reform in Kazakhstan Alan Ruby and Aslan Sarinzhipov.