Decentralisation, School-Based Management, and Quality, 2009 Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research Series, Vol. 8

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.

Main Trends and Issues in Decentralisation, School-Based Management.- Decentralisation and School-Based Governance: A Comparative Study of Self-Governing School Models.- Globalized Educational Governance, Decentralization and Grassroots Responses.- Centralisation and Decentralisation in Education: A New Dimension to Policy.- Unresolved Issues in Globalisation, Decentralisation and Privatisation.- Decentralisation and Market Mechanisms in Education – Examples from Six European Countries.- Managing School Change: Continuous Improvement Based on a Shared Vision and a Strategic Plan.- Case Studies.- Decentralisation of Education: Promising Initiative or Problematic Notion?.- Decentralising Indonesian Education: The Promise and the Price.- Decentralisation in Senegal – Ambiguous Agendas for Community Education.- Decentralisation and Education in Africa: The Case of Uganda.- State and Parental Roles in the Decentralised Education System in Nicaragua.- Teachers’ Empowerment and Commitment at School-Based and Non-School-Based Sites.

Explores conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches applicable in the research of decentralisation, globalisation, school-based management, and education reforms Examines central discourses surrounding the debate of decentralisation, access and equity in schooling globally Illustrates how the relationship between decentralization, globalisation, democracy and education policy affects current models and trends in schooling globally Demonstrates ideological imperatives of globalisation and its impact on trends in decentralization, democracy and equality Evaluates the ambivalent and problematic relationship between the State, decentralisation, education reforms and outcomes in education globally