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 decentralisation,
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 following
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 contribute
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. It provides some
directions in decentralisation, SBM and quality in education debate that has centered
on the themes of accountability, empowerment, academic learning, and flexibility
and innovation relevant for global transformation in the 21st century (see also
Lauglo 1995; Geo-JaJa and Zajda 2005; Zajda and Rust 2009).