79 T he era when globalization needed to be emphasized as a driving force behind educational policy change is long past. Today, it is widely acknowledged that the signifi- cant transformations in educational systems cannot be fully understood within the confines of national borders. Globalization, alongside regionalization processes, has intensified the exchange of policy ideas and created new forms of interdependence between territories, fostering similar reform pressures across educational systems. e field of global studies in education policy (GSEP) has emerged as a prolific and diverse area of research focused on understanding the transnational dynamics of education policymaking in contemporary societies. is field includes, but is not limited to, analyzing the processes, actors, and policies that drive educational change at differ- ent scales, as well as exploring how education policy addresses shared cross-border problems. Studying the relationship between globalization and education policy is a complex endeavor. Beyond highly for- malized global governance structures, global forces are oſten elusive, making it difficult to precisely estimate the extent and nature of their influence, and even inviting over- statement. Additionally, the mechanisms, structures, and forms of agency through which globalization processes influence education policy remain undertheorized or over- simplified. While the impact of transnational actors is increasingly recognized, education research does not always consider the internal complexity of international organizations or the multifaceted nature of their policy work. Finally, policy convergence is oſten assumed as a nat- ural outcome of global policy dynamics, with crucial elements such as diversity, hybridization, and resistance being addressed as an aſterthought rather than integral to the globalization/education policy nexus. In response to these challenges, the first objective of this chapter is to clarify the multiple ways globalization and its agents impact education policy, including forms of influence that oſten go unnoticed, such as idea generation and dissemination, the creation of interdependencies, and the reinforcement of policy paradigms. e second objec- tive of the chapter is to examine the policy outcomes of global influences—going beyond the policy convergence debate to focus on the mechanisms of variation within a global policy context. To achieve these objectives, we explore different theories and schools of thought that address the nature and impact of global influences on educational policy. e chapter shows that GSEP has evolved from a focus on policy diffusion, primarily based on horizontal relations among countries and the top-down influence of interna- tional organizations (IOs), to the study of a richer, multi- scalar reality. is expanded focus gives greater attention to power relations, structures, and discursive practices inter- vening in policy processes, from agenda setting to policy translation. In addition, GSEP increasingly explores mech- anisms and forms of policy variation rather than defaults to the policy convergence thesis. By integrating education policy literature with broader global governance, policy sociology, and comparative public policy research, this chapter encourages theoretical, methodological, and disci- plinary cross-fertilization within GSEP. We argue that GSEP cannot be seen in isolation from broader trends in 3 Ongoing Directions in Global Studies in Education Policy: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed Clara Fontdevila University of Glasgow Antoni Verger Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona