West Indies, Gender and Academic Achievement in

The chain of islands located in the Caribbean Sea and sandwiched between North America and South America is commonly referred to as the West Indies. These islands have a history of colonial rule by superpowers such as the Dutch, French, Spanish, and British. This entry focuses on the former British colonies (also referred to as the English-speaking Caribbean or the Commonwealth Caribbean), most of which gained independence from Britain beginning in the early 1960s. These islands have their own peculiar characteristics but perhaps the most important common thread among them is the fact that they all have a legacy of British colonial education, although most of them are engaged in education reform in the attempt to meet pressing local needs.

As was the case under British ...