OA Books
Open Access Books in Education
Education Review/ Reseñas Educativas/Resenhas Educativas has been dedicated to open access (free-to-read) scholarship for its entire 30-year history. We believe deeply that the public should not be asked to pay twice for access to the fruits of scholarship. Much has changed in the world of publishing education scholarship. “Books” are no longer only printed on paper, and some publishers and non-profit presses are increasingly allowing access to some books at no cost.
As an introduction for Education Review readers, we will release monthly brief lists of open access books in a variety of topics.
March 2026: International Education
Fernando M. Reimers (Ed.). (2020). Empowering Teachers to Build a Better World: How Six Nations Support Teachers for 21st Century Education. Springer.
This study examines how large-scale efforts to empower teachers for deeper instruction have been designed, how they have been implemented, and their outcomes. To do so, it investigates six programs from England, Colombia, Mexico, India, and the United States.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-15-2137-9
Moira Faul & Laura Savage (Eds.). (2023). Systems Thinking in International Education and Development: Unlocking Learning for All? Elgar.
The book underlines the urgency, scale and complexity of the crisis of declining student learning trajectories despite significant financial investments and reform efforts and proposes systems thinking as a way of understanding the global education crisis and driving the real change that is needed to achieve.
https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollbook-oa/book/9781802205930/9781802205930.xml?rskey=F9vNEr&result=1
Adnan Qayyum & Olaf Zawacki-Richter (Eds.). (2018). Open and Distance Education in Australia, Europe and the Americas. Springer.
This book describes the history, structure and institutions of open and distance education in six countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the UK and the US.
https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/26928
Fernando M. Reimers (Eds.). (2020). Audacious Education Purposes: How Governments Transform the Goals of the Education Systems. Springer.
It examines how national governments transform education systems to provide students opportunities to develop such skills. It analyses comprehensive education reforms in Brazil, Finland, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Portugal and Russia and yields original and important insights on the process of educational change.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-15-3887-2
Zhuolin Feng, Qi Wang & Niancai Liu (Eds.). (2025). Education in China and the World: Achievements and Contemporary Issues. Springer.
Focusing on seven education segments, from basic to post-secondary education, this edition draws on the latest literature, official data, and statistical resources to reflect the trends and development in Chinese education.
https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/150664
Joe L. Moore & Angela D. Benson (Eds.). (2012). International Perspectives of Distance Learning in Higher Education. IntechOpen.
The perspectives are presented in the form of practical case studies of distance learning implementations, research studies on teaching and learning in distance learning environments, and conceptual and theoretical frameworks for designing and developing distance learning tools, courses and programs.
https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/books/1990/authors_book/authors_book.pdf
February 2026: Higher Education
Xinqiao Lui. (Ed.) Innovation and Evolution in Higher Education. IntechOpen.
Higher education fulfills vital functions in talent cultivation, scientific research, social service, and innovation. In recent years, countries around the world have been actively exploring effective pathways for the innovation and transformation of higher education. This book capitalizes on this momentum, summarizing the theoretical and practical advancements concerning higher education reform and innovation in various countries and regions.
https://www.intechopen.com/books/1003720
Josep Domenech, Jaime Lloret, M. Cinta Vincent-Vela, Elena de la Poza & Elena Zuriaga (Eds.). (2016). Advances in Higher Education. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València.
Despite the long-standing tradition of some higher education systems, higher education continuously evolves to adapt to the challenges that affect current societies. The objective of this book is to capture some recent advances made in higher education by addressing these challenges.
Dominique Parrish & Joanne Joyce-McCoach (Eds.). (2020). Innovations in Higher Education: Cases on Transforming and Advancing Practice. IntechOpen.
Higher education contributes to the development of countries and their competitiveness in a global marketplace. This book is a collection of easy-to-follow, vignette-based innovations that have transformed or advanced practice and in doing so contributed to ensuring the relevance and value of higher education in a continuously changing world.
https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/books/8283/authors_book/authors_book.pdf
Susan L. Renes (Ed.). (2017). Global Voices in Higher Education. IntechOpen.
Traveling from Zimbabwe to New Zealand and on to Ghana and the United States, the voices of higher education are presented in a way only scholars from these regions can fully articulate and understand. In this volume, scholars from 10 different countries share their work, describing not only their research but also the context in which their work exists.
https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/books/5773/authors_book/authors_book.pdf
Joi L. Moore & Angela D. Benson (Eds.). (2012). International Perspectives of Distance Learning in Higher Education. IntechOpen.
This book, written by authors representing 12 countries and five continents, is a collection of international perspectives on distance learning and distance learning in higher education. The perspectives are presented in the form of practical case studies of distance learning implementations.
https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/books/1990/authors_book/authors_book.pdf
Michael A. Olivas. (2013). Suing Alma Mater: Higher Education and the Courts.
This careful reading of six legal cases in American higher education is an essential primer for understanding contemporary litigation. Winner of the Steven S. Goldberg Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Education Law of the Education Law Association.
https://muse.jhu.edu/book/47866
January 2026: Bilingual Education
Beban Sammy Chumbow. (Ed.) (2018). Multilingualism and Bilingualism. IntechOpen.
The nine chapters of this book provide elucidations of the issue of benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism and further provide original research findings on developments in the areas of psychological dimensions of bilingualism and bilingualism in information retrieval systems.
https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/books/6201/authors_book/authors_book.pdf
Nadia Prokopchuk. (2019). Sharing Our Knowledge: Best Practices for Supporting English Language Learners in Schools. Saskatchewan Open Education Resources.
This is a book of 17 essays by Canadian professionals in the field of teaching English as an Additional Language.
Della Jean Abrahams. (2017). Communication Beginnings: An Introductory Listening and Speaking Text for English Language Learners. Portland State University Library.
This textbook is designed for beginning-intermediate English language learners. It is composed of 7 chapters, each of which covers specific speaking and listening learning objectives and includes dialogues, interviews, discussions and conversation activities.
Birdsong, D., Gertken, L. M., & Amengual, M. (2012). Bilingual Language Profile: An Easy-to-Use Instrument to Assess Bilingualism. COERLL, University of Texas at Austin.
The Bilingual Language Profile (BLP) is an open-access instrument for assessing language dominance among bilinguals. The BLP questionnaire is composed of 19 self-report items relating to language history, language use, language proficiency, and language attitudes.
https://blp.coerll.utexas.edu/
Demet Arpacik. (2021). English Language Learning in the Bilingual Classroom: Pedagogical Applications. CUNY Queens College
A course syllabus.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/qc_oers/35/
Julie A. Panagiotopoulou, Lisa Rosen, & Jenna Strzykala. (2018). Inclusion, Education and Translanguaging. University of Cologne.
This book is based on a conference held at the University of Cologne in 2018 titled—as is this volume—“Inclusion, Education, and Translanguaging: How to Promote Social Justice in (Teacher) Education.”
https://commons.libretexts.org/book/socialsci-160915
Ji-Yeong I & Ricardo Martinez. (2020). Teaching Math for Emergent Bilinguals: Building on Culture, Language, and Identity. Iowa State University.
This book is designed for pre-service/in-service teachers and others who will work or work with K–12 students who have linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, especially students of other languages (English language learners/Emergent bilingual/multilingual).
December 2025: Special Education
Paula Lombardi. (2025). Understanding and Supporting Learners with Disabilities. University of New Hampshire.
Lombardi has written a comprehensive resource to aid educators in understanding and effectively supporting students with disabilities. It is specifically developed to complement the “Students with Disabilities” course, ensuring educators have a robust foundation to build on.
https://pressbooks.usnh.edu/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities/
Samuel Sennott & Sheldon Loman. (2015). Comprehensive Curriculum and Instruction for Students with Developmental Disabilities/Autism Spectrum Disorders. Portland State University Library.
This textbook addresses the population of individuals with disabilities that experience complex lifelong needs across multiple areas in their lives.
https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/235
S. Margolis. (2011). Legal Rights of Children with Epilepsy in School and Child Care. Epilepsy Foundation of America.
A comprehensive manual that provides tools to help families advocate for the rights of their children with epilepsy.
https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/epilepsy.manual.pdf
Serra De Arment. (2024). Introduction to Special Education Resource Repository.
This resource repository was created by and for institutions of higher education in Virginia to align with courses that meet Virginia Department of Education licensure regulations for a provisional license for special education K-12 or early childhood special education.
https://viva.pressbooks.pub/intro2specialed/
Meryl Alper. (2014). Digital Youth with Disabilities. The MIT Press.
An examination of media and technology use by school-aged youth with disabilities, with an emphasis on media use at home.
https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/4034/Digital-Youth-with-Disabilities
Meryl Alper. (2023). Kids Across the Spectrums: Growing Up Autistic in the Digital Age. The MIT Press.
An ethnographic study of diverse children on the autism spectrum and the role of media and technology in their everyday lives.
https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/5626/Kids-Across-the-SpectrumsGrowing-Up-Autistic-in
Ash Lierman. (2024). The Struggle You Can’t See: Experiences of Neurodivergent and Invisibly Disabled Students in Higher Education. OpenBook Publishers.
Lierman offers a comprehensive review of current research on the higher education experiences of neurodivergent students and those with invisible disabilities.
https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0420
John D. Bonvillian et al. (2020). Simplified Signs: A Manual Sign-Communication System for Special Populations. OpenBook Publishers.
Simplified Signs presents a system of manual sign communication intended for special populations who have had limited success mastering spoken or full sign languages. It is the culmination of over twenty years of research and development by the authors.
https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0205
Marcie Desrochers & Moira Fallon. (2014). Instruction in Functional Assessment. Milne Open Textbooks.
The authors introduce learners to functional assessment (FA), which includes a variety of assessment approaches (indirect, observational, and experimental) for identifying the cause of an individual’s challenging behavior for the purpose of designing effective treatments.
https://milneopentextbooks.org/instruction-in-functional-assessment/
November 2025: Education Leadership
Dora Fried Schnitman (Ed.). (2014). Novos Paradigmas, Cultura e Subjetividade. Taos Institute. [Portuguese language]
Como bem descrito na contracapa desse livro, os capítulos tratam de diversos programas de mediação em diferentes partes do mundo que utilizam tais abordagens com êxito. É uma espécie de “conversa” interdisciplinar sobre questões conceituais e pragmáticas, tratando do diálogo, da reflexão, da narrativa e de outras formas criativas de comunicação e questionamento para a resolução de conflitos. Tal discussão permitirá que os leitores repensem antigas suposições e práticas.
https://www.taosinstitute.net/product/novos-paradigmas-cultura-e-subjetividade-by-dora-fried-schnitman
Kevin Adams, Murray Anderson, Elissah Becknell, C.J. Ivory, & Angela Pashia. (2022). Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice. Association of College and Research Libraries.
Not long after we began collaborating and presenting together at conferences, we were invited to draft a chapter on critical race theory (CRT) in academic libraries. We proceeded without much thought to who the publisher would be. Angela had been working on social justice issues and CJ had a wealth of expertise on open educational resources. We chose Open Access as an opportunity to not only save students money but incorporate CRT into the curriculum both in content and in practice.
https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/using-open-educational-resources-to-promote-social-justice
Jayme Renfro. (2023). Public Administration: The Essentials (1st Ed.). University of Northern Iowa.
Public Administration: The Essentials provides students with the conceptual foundation they need for an introduction to the field of public administration. This Open Access textbook covers the most critical issues in the field through the use of classic texts and theory as well as through modern examples.
https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/public-administration-the-essentials
Cailyn F. Green, Bernadet DeJonge, Nikki Golden, Kim Brayton, Carrie Steinman, & Shannon Raybold. (2025). Social Justice & Advocacy in Human Services. Milne Open Textbooks.
The authors delve into the complex realm of social justice, offering a deep dive into historical roots and theories to practical applications in the field. This text covers fundamental concepts, including power, privilege, and oppression, and explores critical issues like racism, gender, sexuality, poverty, religion, and disability in the context of the United States.
https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/social-justice-advocacy-in-human-services
Ash Barber, Mais Fatayer, Rani McLennan, Alice Luetchford, Sarah McQuillen, & Angie Williamson (2024). Open Education Down UndOER: Australasian Case Studies. Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL).
Australasian Case Studies is a curated, peer-reviewed, openly licensed anthology comprising scholarly contributions from esteemed professionals including librarians, researchers, learning and teaching teams, and engaged open education practitioners across Australia.
https://oercollective.caul.edu.au/openedaustralasia/
Gina S. Matkin, Jason Headrick, & Hannah M. Sunderman. (2023). Developing Human Potential: A Personal Approach to Leadership. Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
This textbook provides an overview and introduction to personal leadership through the lens of how students can develop and maximize their own interpersonal skills. The book approaches interpersonal skills from a personal level and allows the reader to immerse themselves into activities and scholarship across topical areas. Learners can create their own Personal Leadership Philosophy and expand this into a Civic Leadership Philosophy to help them understand the impact leaders can have on their communities and workplaces.
https://pressbooks.nebraska.edu/developinghumanpotential/
Ed Ray (Ed.) (2024). A Handbook of Higher Education Leadership. Oregon State University.
Offers advice from 35 experienced higher education leaders. Covers leadership challenges, accountability, budgeting, planning, community building, crisis management, and more in higher education settings.
https://open.oregonstate.education/handbookhighereducationleadership/
October 2025: Education Policy
Guori Fan & Thomas S. Popkewitz (Eds.) (2020) Handbook of Education Policy Studies: Values, Governance, Globalization, and Methodology, Volume 1. Springer Nature.
This handbook brings together the latest research from a wide range of internationally influential scholars to analyze educational policy research from international, historical and interdisciplinary perspectives.
https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/27339
Montserrat Gomendio & José Ignacio Wert (2023). Dire Straits-Education Reforms: Ideology, Vested Interests and Evidence. Open Book Publishers.
Responding to an "educational emergency" generated largely by the difficulties of implementing education reforms, this book compares education policies around the world in order to understand what works where.
https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/97855
Kristof De Witte, Vitezslav Titl, Oliver Holz & Mike Smet (2019). Financing Quality Education for All: The Funding Methods of Compulsory and Special Needs Education. Leuven University Press.
The authors describe the resource allocation for compulsory and special needs education for a selection of well-performing countries and regions on PISA tests.
https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/29521
Liu Niancai, Feng Zhuolin & Wang Qi (2024). Education in China and the World: Achievements and Contemporary Issues. Springer Nature.
A comprehensive overview of education in China, covering 12 critical topics including basic education, higher education, professional education, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education, mental health education, and international education and excellence initiatives.
https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/133012
Fernando M. Reimers (2020). Audacious Education Purposes: How Governments Transform the Goals of Education Systems. Springer Nature.
An analysis of comprehensive education reforms in Brazil, Finland, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Portugal and Russia. The authors produce original and important insights on the process of educational change.
https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/33086
Birol Akgün & Yusuf Alpaydın (Eds.) (2022) Education Policies in the 21st Century: Comparative Perspectives. Springer Nature.
Current policies in the international education sector, which is growing day by day as a result of increasing globalization and internationalization, are examined and future trends are revealed.
https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/57055
Thor Gibbins, Ed Beck & Kjersti VanSlyke-Briggs (2024). ReStorying Education: Critical Perspectives in Public Education. SUNY Oneonta.
The authors offer a foundational exploration of public education in the United States using different perspectives and critical analysis of education and educational policy. Each chapter details a restorying of key aspects of education critical to developing a more nuanced understanding of public education: popular media narratives, historical, curricular, philosophical, and political.
September 2025: Higher Education
Kelvin K. Droegemeier (2023) Demystifying the Academic Research Enterprise: Becoming a Successful Scholar in a Complex and Competitive Environment. The MIT Press.
Droegemeier shows next-generation scholars across all disciplines how to become more productive earlier in their career, as well as how to help shape the academic research enterprise.
https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/5708/Demystifying-the-Academic-Research
Lucy Montgomery, John Hartley, Cameron Neylon et al. (2021) Open Knowledge Institutions: Reinventing Universities. The MIT Press.
A diverse group of authors—including open access pioneers, science communicators, scholars, researchers, and university administrators—offer a bold proposition: Universities should become open knowledge institutions, acting with principles of openness at their center and working across boundaries to generate shared knowledge resources for the benefit of humanity.
https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/5131/Open-Knowledge-InstitutionsReinventing
Dina Zoe Belluigi (Ed.) (2025) Being in Shadow and Light: Academics in Post/Conflict Higher Education. Open Book Publishers.
Academia and its citizens, during periods of political & social conflict, are often overlooked. The focus tends to be on student activism, access to higher education, or curriculum development. The experiences of academics affected by conflict remain under-researched. This is particularly concerning given that academics continue to be at risk as targets of sanction, persecution, and oppression.
https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0427
Sandra Abegglen, Tom Burns, Sandra Sinfield (Eds.) (2023) Collaboration in Higher Education. Bloomsbury Academic.
A synthesis of theoretical perspectives and current practice to present examples that advocate for a more inclusive, cooperative, collaborative, compassionate and empowering education. The human element of education is at the core of this book, focusing on what we can do and achieve together: students, academic staff, higher education institutions and relevant stakeholders.
https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/63691
August 2025: Educational Psychology
Seifert, K., & Sutton, R. (2024). Educational Psychology (2nd ed.). University of Manitoba.
A comprehensive coverage of most key traditional aspects of educational psychology such as human development theories; learning theories; and diversity. Major concepts of educational psychology are discussed, including the major theories and theorists of education, assessments, student diversity, learners with special needs, and motivation.
https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/153
Zhou, M., & Brown, D. (2018). Educational Learning Theories (2nd ed.). Lehman College Library.
Learning theories covered include the theories of Piaget, Bandura, Vygotsky, Kohlberg, Dewey, Bronfenbrenner, Eriksen, Gardner, Bloom, and Maslow. Topics covered include Behaviorism, Cognitive Development, Social Cognitive Theory, Experiential Learning Theory, Human Motivation Theory, Information Processing Theory.
https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/education-textbooks/1/
Trif, V. (2019). Educational Psychology: Between Certitudes and Uncertainties. IntechOpen.
"Certitudes and Uncertainties" is a common denominator for the existing sophisticated academic conventions and for the immense potential of continuous professional development. The title of the book reflects the state of the art, a new trend in the conceptual fabric of educational psychology, and an attitude toward an academic market in the age of many battles in the world of science.
https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/books/7698/authors_book/authors_book.pdf
Lally, M., & Valentine-French, S. (2019). Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective (2nd ed.). College of Lake County, Illinois.
This book covers the major theoretical approaches that shape the understanding of development from conception to death. Current research findings describe and explain biological, psychological, and social development across the life span.
http://dept.clcillinois.edu/psy/LifespanDevelopment.pdf
Goldstein, S., & Ingersoll, B. (2017). Attention Deficit Disorder and Learning Disabilities: Realities, Myths, and Controversial Treatments. Doubleday.
The authors investigate the maze of conflicting information regarding children’s ADHD and learning disabilities. They detail the causes, symptoms, and diagnoses, then explore and critique possible treatments. The effectiveness of possible treatments is evaluated. Often confusing scientific jargon is demystified.
https://www.freepsychotherapybooks.org/ebook/attention-deficit-disorder-and-learning-disabilities/
Dobson, S., et al. (2024). Learning Inclusion in a Digital Age: Belonging and Finding a Voice with the Disadvantaged. Springer.
The authors consider how inclusive learning, wellbeing and active citizenship can be encouraged, taught, learnt, and supported in a digital world. The book poses and seeks to address three questions: How can governments and intergovernmental organisations support learning inclusion and active citizenship? How can the education sector and public/private enterprises support learning inclusion and active citizenship? How can professionals and communities work with vulnerable adults who are disadvantaged in a participatory, empowering manner?
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-99-7196-1
Bateson, P. (2017). Behaviour, Development and Evolution. Open Book Publishers.
In this lucid and accessible book, eminent biologist Professor Sir Patrick Bateson suggests that the nature/nurture dichotomy we often use to think about questions of development in both humans and animals is misleading. Instead, he argues that we should pay attention to whole systems, rather than to simple causes, when trying to understand the complexity of development.
