Decentralisation, School-Based Management, and Quality

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.

The relationship between government, education reform and student outcomes is an ambivalent and often problematic one. Focusing on the interplay between decentralization, globalization, and education reforms, this book draws on recent studies to explore the conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches that can be applied to research covering the state, globalization, equality, and education. It lays bare the neo-liberal ideological imperatives of education and policy reforms, and illustrates the way the relationship between the state and education policy affects current models and trends in education reforms and schooling globally.

The chapters critically analyze the dominant discourses about decentralization and comparative education and examine the current resurgence of neo-liberal ideological models in education, both newly constructed and re-invented. To ensure as broad a perspective on the issues as possible, the authors employ a raft of diverse paradigms in comparative education research, ranging from critical theory to globalization.

This in-depth exploration of globalization, ideology and democracy in education examines both the reasons for and outcomes of education reforms, decentralization, policy change and transformation. In doing so, it seeks to provide a more informed critique on Western-driven models of accountability, quality and school effectiveness. It is the eighth in the 12-volume book series Globalization, Comparative Education and Policy Research, which presents scholarly research on major discourses in comparative education research with reference to decentralization and school-based management. The series provides an accessible, practical yet scholarly source of information about international issues in the field of globalization and comparative education.