This article seeks to highlight some of the themes and present constraints in educational policy, taking as its background the redefinition of the role of the State following the terms of reference of the academic debate in the Portuguese and European context. Although this topic may be viewed from different theoretical and conceptual perspectives, the author adopts a sociological focus, starting with a succinct critical allusion to the (old) theories of the State. He then refers briefly to some of the emergent theoretical alternatives, seeking not only to call attention to the new forms of State action but also to stress some of the different dimensions and effects of the globalisation process, which are already visible at the level of contemporary educational policies.
State; globalisation; sociology of educational policies