Decentralization And School Based Management

This book, which is the eighth volume in the 12-volume book series Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research, presents scholarly research on major discourses in decentralisation, school-based management (SBM) and quality in education globally. This book, which focuses on decentralisation and SBM as a governance strategy in education, presents theoretical aspects of the phenomenon of decentralisation/privatisation and contextualises them within the education research literature. It provides an easily accessible, practical yet scholarly source of information concerning the dynamics of decentralisation and SBM that normally take place when reforms are instituted to decentralize authority and power. Above all, the authors offering the latest findings regarding major discourses in dec- tralisation, SBM and quality in educational systems in the global culture emphasise aspects of that dynamic interactive process (see also Geo-JaJa 2006a; Gamage and Sooksomchitra 2006, Zajda 2009). This dynamic interaction in the process that is implicit in the title of the book is reified by calls for restructuring of schools f- lowing the idea that schools are not promoting human rights, social cohesion and sustainable development. The chapters as a source book of ideas for researchers, practitioners and policy makers in decentralisation and SBM in education contr- ute to the educational literature while enhancing the understanding of the larger dynamics involved in educational reform. It offers a timely overview of current issues affecting decentralisation in education in the global culture.

An increasing number of developing countries are introducing School-Based Management (SBM) reforms aimed at empowering principals and teachers or at strengthening their professional motivation, thereby enhancing their sense of ownership of the school. Many of these reforms have also strengthened parental involvement in the schools, sometimes by means of school councils. SBM programs take many different forms in terms of who has the power to make decisions as well as the degree of ecision-making devolved to the school level. While some programs transfer authority only to school principals or te.

The aims and origins of decentralization are examined and its effects on school flexibility, accountability, and productivity are explored in some depth. Administrators and others tell their stories. This volume offers an analysis of how school-based management works.

This book begins with a review of 'decentralisation' in schools, highlighting the problem of how to increase school-level autonomy while ensuring an orderly delivery of high quality education for a whole country that is equitable across geographic, socioeconomic and cultural divisions. Case studies of school-based managed models in six countries are described, focusing on a radical system in place in Victoria, Australia. Leadership is a key function in school management reform, especially with respect to the delegation of financial management.

Reform of American education is largely motivated by concerns about our economic competitiveness and American's standard of living. Yet, few if any of the public school reform agendas incorporate economic principles or research findings. Improving America's Schools explores how education and economic research can help produce, in the words of Harvard's Dale W. Jorgenson, "a unified framework for future education reform." This book presents the perspectives of noted experts, including Eric A. Hanushek, author of Making Schools Work, on creating incentives for improved school and student performance; Under Secretary of Education Marshall S. Smith on the Clinton Administration's reform program; and Rebecca Maynard, University of Pennsylvania, on the education of the disadvantaged. This volume explores these areas: The importance of schooling to labor market success. The prospects for combining school-based management with teacher incentives to gain the best of both approaches. The potential of recent innovations in student achievement testing, including new "value-added" indicators. The economic factors involved in maintaining an adequate stock of effective teachers. The volume also explores why, despite similar standards of living, France, the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and the United States produce different levels of education achievement. Improving America's Schools informs the current debate over school reform with a fresh perspective, examples, and data. This readable volume will be of interest to policymakers, researchers, educators, and education administrators as well as economists and employersâ€"it is also readily accessible to concerned parents and the larger community.

This book identifies and examines the political dimensions of decentralization. Decentralization programs vary from country to country, but there are common threads and fundamental questions in all situations. The book covers the following themes and topics: (1) a case study of school decentralization in Colombia over a period of more than two decades; (2) why decentralization is political; (3) why countries decentralize; (4) what decentralization accomplishes; (5) the importance of developing consensus; and (6) how to begin building consensus. (Contains 32 references.) (EH)

Decentralization and Education: Asian Experiences and Conceptual Contributions examines the specific ways in which decentralization policies have affected the structure and delivery of education in eleven Asian nations. Written by top scholars in the field, the case studies provide detailed and rich empirical evidence documenting the tensions as well as synchronisms between the ideas that form the basis of decentralization policy and the contexts into which they are introduced. The high quality of this collection of essays and the careful attention to local contexts for implementation will make this book a must read for academics, policy planners, practitioners, and students of Asia.

"Mohrman and Wohlstetter have written the most important volume on school-based management to date... a significant contribution to the school reform literature." --Joseph Murphy, professor and chair, department of educational leadership, Vanderbilt UniversityThis book examines the school-based management strategies that hold the most promise for increasing organizational effectiveness.