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The documentation of pupils in Swedish schools is extensive and a documentation culture has come to characterize the schools in recent years. In the context of decentralization and changing governance, focus has increasingly been directed towards assessment, follow-up and evaluation of pupils' learning and social development. This article examines the Individual Educational Plans (hereafter IEP) used for pupils with special educational needs in Swedish compulsory schools from the perspective of text analyses based on discourse theory. The aim of this study is to shed light on how pupils are constructed in the school's documentation. The study examines how these IEPs are used as a pedagogical technique for new ways of governing in order to impose self-regulation, individual responsibility and social control.The documents, which comprise the empirical material in this article, are gathered from 14 different schools and consist of documents for a total of 136 pupils with special educational needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article discusses and analyzes the state of university autonomy in Ethiopia at a time when the country has embarked on massive expansion of the sector, and universities are established out of urban centers based on regional equity. Legislative provisions and case study reports were reviewed, and lived experiences documented with emphasis on academic, financial, staffing, and governance matters. Following, generalizations were made in order that the country benefits out of the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to describe the most significant changes which are being carried out in Latin-American educational systems, taking Argentina as a point of reference. To that end, this comparative study tackles the following essential aspects: the principle of equal opportunities and social cohesion; decentralisation of educational systems at an institutional level; educational quality and equity problems; the career of teaching; and financial resources. The reforms carried out at university level have not been analysed, since their complexity exceeds the limits of this article. To conclude, we briefly mention the future goals which have been agreed by those responsible for education in diverse Latin-American countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social inequality in access to superior quality higher education in Russia is due to the unequal development of the regions of Russia. The country's two biggest cities and the areas adjacent to them account for a quarter of Russia's infrastructure that offers young people an access to a higher education. The regional colleges and universities in Russia have weaker connections with the sphere of science, and provide lower educational quality than institutions in the capital cities. The most important way to solve this problem is to decentralize the development of science in Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the prologue of devolution of power 2001, district level educational managers are working with new accountability environment. This study was proposed to explore the opinions of Executive District Officer (EDOs) of Punjab regarding the devolution in education. The data was collected through primary source by semi-structured interviews. It was found that most of the district administrations in education like EDOs, had no managerial training before joining these posts. Some of the EDOs described that devolution had little effect on enrolment, dropout, and female enrolment. All EDOs expressed unhappiness over lack of any orientation or professional development provided to them in this context. Most of the powers had been concentrated in the office of EDOs whereas DEOs; Deputy DEOs have merely become reporting officers. The personnel in the hierarchy of education department before devolution were, answerable to people of the same cadre at district, division and provincial level like in district to DEOs, at divisional level to Director (Education) and at provincial level to Director Public Instructions (DPI) but in post- devolution scenario they had to report to the bureaucracy at the district level (District Coordinating Officer) which eroded their autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which assesses the equity and adequacy of the school system in New York City after its 32 decentralized community school districts were reorganized into ten administrative regions in 2003. The study used a framework to assess adequacy based on legal, economic and sociological perspectives. The analysis found mixed results regarding the benefits of recentralization.

Pressures for increased accountability and higher student achievement have pushed districts to assume greater control and centralization of curriculum, instruction, and assessments. While the benefits of coherence and centralization have been noted, there is also increasing awareness of the need to balance professionalism and accountability through more decentralized approaches. Using social network analysis and extensive interviews with principals and central office administrators, this mixed methods study explores how one United States school district's formal structures fostered informal relationships between site and central office administrators that led to a balance between professionalism and accountability--a core condition that supported sustained achievement. This study provides one example of centralization/ decentralization, and a balance of professionalism and accountability that was struck between the central office and its schools in a large suburban district serving a high percentage of Hispanics, English learners, and socio-economically disadvantaged students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to provide useful insights into educational under-achievement among Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel (PAI), investigating the perceptions of local educational administrators (LEAs) towards the education system and its modus vivendi, to uncover difficulties and suggest directions to improve the processes and achievements of the PAI education system. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 stakeholders in local education (mayors, education department managers; school principals and parents' representatives) in four Arab local governments in Israel to elucidate attitudes toward education. Findings – The small random sample cannot claim to be representative however worrying problems were revealed: deficient resources in comparison to the Jewish education system; an ineffective political culture in local government; inferior status and problematic functioning of Arab education department heads and lack of inclusion of professionals and parents in decision-making. These factors negatively impact the education system and its products. Originality/value – The paper suggests local government should determine appropriate local policy, positioning education as a high priority with efficient education departments, more professional staff, and suitable education programs. Additionally state government should provide equal resources for the Arab education system, to lever Arab education in Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By combining the features of CSMA and TDMA, fully decentralised WLAN MAC schemes have recently been proposed that converge to collision-free schedules. In this paper we describe a MAC with optimal long-run throughput that is almost decentralised. We then design two schemes that are practically realisable, decentralised approximations of this optimal scheme and operate with different amounts of sensing information. We achieve this by (1) introducing learning algorithms that can substantially speed up convergence to collision free operation; (2) developing a decentralised schedule length adaptation scheme that provides long-run fair (uniform) access to the medium while maintaining collision-free access for arbitrary numbers of stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a comparative research project on work-related learning in lower secondary schools (ISCED level 2) within three countries. The primary aim of the study was to expand our understanding of how work-related learning curriculum is mediated through national cultures and teacher agency to form a basis for the school syllabus. A case study methodology was selected given the de-centralised nature of curriculum-making within each of the units of analysis. The data collection period covers the years 2009-2011 and the countries taking part were Germany, China and Scotland. The research method is based upon both the collection of secondary data, through the analysis of curriculum documents within each country, and the use of primary data sources, through interviewing school teachers. The research builds upon previous studies in curriculum-making and professional development for teachers and uses a theoretical framework that explores the differences between the "prescribed and enacted curriculum" within schools. The outcomes suggest that the relationship between the world of work and education remains problematic with tensions often being exacerbated through the mediating roles played by national institutions and teacher agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Communication for Development (C4D) is a new academic discipline and profession for addressing human dimension concerns in development, such as local participation, integration and capacity building, which are the main issues limiting aid effectiveness. However, my experience in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Africa and where a multitude of international development experts attempt to bring about change have, perhaps, never heard about C4D. When the concept was explained, these officials felt C4D was precisely what Malawi and developing countries, need. It left me feeling that the success rate of poverty-reduction programming could be greater if C4D education was provided for development decision-makers and field staff, especially agricultural extension workers. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is a critical review of the literature on the role of agricultural extension education in development, focusing on how C4D can strengthen extension performance. Findings: The study found that development policymakers in Malawi, governmental, nongovernmental, bilateral and multilateral, support the C4D idea once they become knowledgeable about it. Practical implications: Therefore, the practical implication is that educating policymakers about C4D will increase donor investments in pilot C4D projects, a strengthening of agricultural extension systems, and success of poverty-reduction programs. Originality/value: It is hoped that readers will find the C4D strategy stimulating, the author's experience enlightening, and the C4D proposal an innovative way of improving aid effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An analysis of the results in the provision of public education under different institutional contexts is carried out for Colombia where, during the decentralization process, different degrees of autonomy to manage education public expenditures have coexisted. The analysis is undertaken by using frontier analysis techniques, which allow us to estimate cost and production functions, in order to determine differences in costs and technical efficiency in the provision of education across regions. The results show that the strength of decentralization had a more positive impact on increasing enrollment than on the improvement of the quality of education. It was also found, that high levels of cost and production inefficiency are present in different regions of the country, implying that savings in public expenditure and better educational results could be achieved if all local authorities could operate at the most efficient level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Borrowing educational institutions and ideas from the past and from other contemporary education systems is a significant part of the educational history of many nations. Many of the current nations continue to probe the past for pleasure or insights, while some nations seek to erase much of their educational past. Further, an increasing number of contemporary governments and educational leaders actively seek to improve or redesign their educational programmes by borrowing current educational ideas, programmes, and institutions from other countries. This Introduction recognizes the legitimacy of multiple definitions of the term 'world-class' but limits discussion to basic education. Thus, the focus here is on pre-university schooling. Attention will be given to the measurement of quality as an integral component of world-class education, approaches to its planning, and discussions of relevant contemporary issues and trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue brought before this study is the opinions of teachers in school education on educational policies. "Voice" teachers derives from reflective exercises proposed for evaluation as a result of their participation in a master course with this topic. Resolution issues targeted decentralization of education, more exactly, degree of freedom that you have school the teachers work. Article includes a brief theoretical approach to the concept of decentralization of the Romanian educational system. Teachers' reflections were grouped into specific high school problems, theoretical and technological, and specific problems secondary education. Summarizing data through content analysis, shows an excessively rigid legal framework, while preserving its decision-making levels in the upper reaches of the system and hence low local initiative. Recorded opinion demonstrates a high potential, which expects an increase in autonomy granted to schools and managers trust them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that no society can develop itself in isolation, but within the sociopolitical, historical and geographical context where it exists. Once accepted as an EU member, Romania has enhanced its concern for complying the Romanian education system with the European countries' ones. The government representatives of the European countries consider that they have to focus especially on the quality of initial teacher training and improvement of their working conditions because the teachers are the ones who bear responsibility for human resource training in all the fields of activity. There is still a debate at this level on the development of the teachers' skills and young people's interest in the didactical professions, focusing on the organization of initial training of teachers in such a manner as to form those basic skills necessary for the increasing quality services in education, stimulating working conditions in order to make the teachers stay motivated and dedicated to their teaching or managerial career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School-based management (SBM) has been a prominent topic in the literature related to decentralisation reforms in western countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and the UK. SBM has been promoted as a decentralising strategy, aiming to decentralize and democratize educational policymaking. It is based on a widely accepted view that better quality education can be obtained when schools possess their own decision-making. Egypt has been no exception to the decentralizing movement sweeping the world. In the early 90s, Egypt's government started a comprehensive educational reform programme with educational decentralization being a key theme on the reform agenda. As part of this move, SBM has been promoted through a number of decentralization initiatives aiming to devolve more decision-making powers to the local school level. However, evidence from recent research indicates that the rhetoric surrounding this move is much more significant than its substance. This paper highlights the apparent paradox between policy and practice and provides possible explanations for it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we describe a qualitative research project conducted at a public elementary school in a rural community in Guatemala. From analysis of interviews with teachers and the school administrator, we found that a key concern of participants was how they viewed the increasingly problematic relationship between their local educational processes, federal government policies and the broader forces of globalisation. To understand these issues, we employ a theoretical framework that draws from the, often competing, assumptions of global neoliberalism and the capability approach. The teachers interviewed for the project suggest that the Guatemalan government was attempting to implement a program of educational privatization that was incommensurate with the needs and interests of their daily lives as teachers in a small rural community. We argue that the issues and problems raised by the teachers are not only indicative of local or even Guatemalan national issues but illustrate global educational concerns and their incumbent problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Devolution in education from provinces to district changed the crux of power for controlling schools from provincially centralized system to districts in Pakistan. Devolution in education across the globe showed mixed results (though most showed positive results) so far as their impact on students' achievement was concerned. This article has tried to add to the impact studies in this regards. Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations in Pakistan are conducted by autonomous boards. So SSC results could be the best means of recording students' achievement. The study presented in this article utilized a quantitative approach employing ex-post facto research using empirical data. One Examination Board was randomly selected out of 8 boards in the province Punjab and pre-devolution (1998-2003) and post-devolution (2004-2009) results of all five districts in Examination Board were analyzed. The results of the study showed that devolution in education has no significant impact on students' achievement. There was no improvement in students' achievement. Rather, the students average pass percentage decreased slightly after devolution. Even in some small districts the results were lower than pre- devolution period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the level of parental involvement in schools in India. It presents a historical review of the educational system, followed by current demographic data and educational statistics in the country. Research findings reveal a highly-centralized Indian educational system. The 2009 Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act and other policies are said to be geared towards decentralization and the motivation of parents to actively participate in school governance.

Emerging economies are building up their education systems by overcoming the major challenges of finance, infrastructure and planning and control of resources and internal processes through 'school-based management' reforms. To achieve relative competitiveness, school management must deal with these challenges. Governments consider decentralization as an indispensable step in efforts to provide quality education. Many successful schools set up committees and undertake improvements in planning. The Indian school education sector is not an exception. This study sought to explore the nature of planning function being practiced at the school level as a source of competitive advantage. A sample of 188, among the population of 557 secondary schools in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh in India, was selected through stratified sampling. The primary responses were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to the respective school heads and analyzed with chi-square and simple descriptives. Decentralization is a management strategy which demands flexible implementation with a balance between the autonomy and the characteristics of its beneficiaries. Improvement of the quality of education needs the functioning and management of schools to improve. The findings indicate that the planning framework is either nonexistent or inactive in a majority of public sector schools. The inclusion of community members in school management is comparatively better in the public sector schools run by the State government of Andhra Pradesh than those run by private managements. The academic, infrastructure and financial planning activities are highly centralized, giving no scope for innovation and autonomy at the school level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of national educational reform in China calls for newer and stronger school administration. Recognizing the need to establish a knowledge base for leadership development, we employ a set of existing US professional standards for educational leaders as a frame of reference to unpack the complex role of Chinese superintendents. Using data collected from two surveys administered to more than 200 Chinese superintendents in 2007, we find that many indicators of leadership considered essential in the United States are also viewed as necessary for effective superintendency in China. Feedback from the superintendents also points out gaps between what is perceived as important and what is in practice. This article contributes to the efforts of building meaningful global dialogues among researchers and practitioners on developing a new generation of education administrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes the role of election of school managers in the educational policy of democratization/decentralization in Recife. It considers how democracy is constituted as an object of discourse in Brazilian education. Data were collected via interviews with municipal managers of education. The Discourse Theory was used as a reference for analysis, based on Laclau. We seek to explain the social aspects from the discourse. The results indicated that the election of managers is an important element in building democracy in school, but it does not mean that democracy is guaranteed. The hegemonic sense present in the manager's speeches is that it is important to build democratic practices in the school routine, especially through the School Council. It is also noticed that democratization is a constituent of the manager's discourse. However, its effect is different in view of the prospect policy managers with which they are in line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the public and academic debate, the liberalization of Swedish school policy is often equated with privatization and--to a lesser degree--differentiation. The first is associated with the rapid growth of a semi-private free school sector, driven by slogans such as freedom of choice, cost-efficiency, parental influence and market competition. The second is associated with the decentralization of power and goal-oriented governance, aiming to achieve a variegated and flexible school system that is better equipped to meet individual needs, interests and preferences. The article examines this widespread conception of the liberalization of Swedish school policy. More precisely, the objective is to position central school policy developments over the last two decades in the liberal field through a tripartite typology. I argue that the mainstream conception exaggerates the privatization type of liberalization, while neglecting another, less visible but very influential type--namely universalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is about educational policy in England. It explores the Coalition Government's key policies about localism, decentralisation and education, and assesses whether these present opportunities for a radical school to apply for state funding as a Free School. A case study from the independent sector - a democratic school which is run by students as well as teachers - is used as an example. Following this, the conclusion is drawn that the Coalition Government has given mixed messages in terms of its commitment to decentralisation, and that, in fact, they would be challenged by an application for a radical Free School. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses how economist Friedrich A. Hayek's arguments against central planning of economies can be applied in the field of education. According to Hayek, there was a knowledge problem in the society, with knowledge existing in a highly dispersed way. In the U.S., there has been an increasing centralization of educational decision making. The author points that proponents and critics can use Hayek's arguments in the debate over decentralized education.

This article explores the issues and concerns of Nepalese teachers in relation to Gaynor’s (1998) three models of teacher management (administrative, grassroots and alternative), constructed in the context of decentralisation reform around the world. The article suggests that the existing teacher management policies in Nepal are problematic and controversial, embracing both the administrative and grassroots models of teacher management and maintaining both the centralised and decentralised policies of teacher selection, promotion and financing. With problems similar to those of many developing nations in Africa, decentralisation of teacher management results in growing division and hierarchy among teaching staff, and favouritism, cronyism and corruption at the local level. The lack of equitable distribution of qualified teachers across regions and schools is another concern. The article concludes that the decentralisation of teacher management is problematic particularly in the countries where a dual approach to teacher management has been adopted and where the political, economic, institutional, technical and educational systems need to respond to the specific characteristics and needs of schools and communities as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Implementation of Devolution Plan 2000 through Punjab Local Government Ordinance (PLGO) 2001 was a landmark in the history of decentralization in Pakistan. It was the first time when most of the political, administrative, and financial powers were devolved to district government. The objectives of this study were to explore whether implementation of devolution plan was followed in true spirit, to discover the focus and problems in its implementation and to identify the way forward. The study was conducted using document analysis. The data analysis show that though powers were devolved from provincial to district government but most of the academic, administrative and financial powers remained centralized at the top in the decision making hierarchy of the district. Decentralization of powers from provinces to district is a giant step towards decentralization but it needs to trickle down further in the district management especially to the schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the education system in the U.S. and South Africa which impact teachers and student performance. It notes the decentralized education system in the U.S. which is based upon the federal constitution that reserves power over education to the states and local authorities, as well as to individual schools and institutions of higher education. The author also highlights the control of the central government on the national framework of school policy in South Africa.

Las últimas décadas han sido testigos del fortalecimiento de los sindicatos docentes en México y Sudamérica. Pese a las diferencias que estas organizaciones presentan entre sí, todas han disputado con los gobiernos a la hora de definir los presupuestos educativos, y han enfrentado las políticas que promueven la descentralización de la educación y la implementación de reformas en los regímenes laborales docentes. Éstos y otros conflictos que atraviesa el campo educativo no expresan tanto una oposición entre intereses universales (encarnados por el Estado) y particulares (por los sindicatos) como una disputa laboral y política entre actores históricamente situados que tienen distintos papeles en la sociedad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the education policy in Chile in the 1980s by studying the case of the San Rafael school. It examines the decentralization of the education system and the role of the government in the development of educational policies during this time period. The author analyzes the effectiveness of the administration and management of public education by municipal governments, which resulted in financial, developmental, and educational inequality throughout the country. Groups in favor of and against the implementation of new education policies at the San Rafael school are also explored.

The article focuses on the educational reform in South Africa, in which the promulgation of the South African Schools Act in 1996 led to the transformation of the public education system in the country. It says that school governing bodies were established which mandates parent participation and decision making in local schools. Furthermore, it mentions that the mandated decentralization does not assure a successful parent-school governance.

This study which dealt with the localization in education and strengthening the participation of parents in school administrations was a descriptive research. In this research, where qualitative design was used, purposeful sampling method was preferred. A work group consisting of 15 schools administrators who were working in schools with varying socio-economic levels in Kastamonu city center was established. The data were gathered by using the semi-structured interview technique. There were some differences in the opinions of the school administrators who had participated in the research on the issue of parents' participation in school administration. The participation of parents in school administration varied with the socio-economic levels of schools. The effect of parents having participated in school administration on the decisions taken differed in the socio-economic levels of the areas where schools were located. The difficulties experienced by the school administrators and parents in the process of their participation in schools varied with the socio-economic levels of schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1987, the government of Ghana embarked on a process to decentralise education management to districts as part of wider social and democratic governance reforms. A central part of this reform was the prescription of active community participation in the affairs of schools within their locality. This paper explores the different meanings community participation had for school community stakeholders. It examines the multiple understandings of how community and school relations work and the factors which influence this relationship. Drawing on case study data, it argues that much of the theoretical and policy expectations on representation and participation in education by community members are only evident in form, but not as intended in practice. In poor rural contexts, it is often the local elite and relatively more educated members of the community, who become the new brokers of decision-making and, through their actions, close up the spaces for representation and participation by community members in the affairs of schools. Furthermore, the extent of community participation appears to be shaped by a 'social contract' based on the principle of reciprocity of roles between the community and schools, and that increasingly teachers feel accountable to the traditional hierarchical educational structure, and not to the community. The paper argues that the realisation of decentralisation policy in education has to contend with the realities of local politics of influence in the community, and tap into the positive side of this influence to improve education service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses decentralisation of, and community participation in, elementary education of Kerala. Decentralisation is the political process of sharing power on the part of the state with local level structures and community participation refers to assumption of power or responsibility on the part of the people at the local level. In the process of decentralisation in education, all state schools in Kerala are brought under the power of the local self-governments. Involvement of civil society in education in Kerala is a form of both decentralisation and community participation. There has been large scale involvement of civil society in establishing and administering schools in Kerala. School level community participation is the involvement of the immediate stakeholders of the education service in running their schools; the most important school level structure for this in Kerala is the parent teacher association. Implementation of the central act of 2009 on free and compulsory education has its implication for the prospects of community participation in education in Kerala. In order to benefit from the act, Kerala has to judiciously adapt its provisions to suit Kerala's context of the structure and achievement of elementary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textbooks are basic elements that shape the school curriculum. Despite the democratization and decentralization of the Spanish educational system, a certain ideological inertia and bias with respect to their contents and focus persists. The study presented here is based on an empirical analysis of the contents of 264 books used at the primary (6-11 years), secondary (12-14 years) and baccalaureate (15-16 years) levels. The results point to the existence of an "unstated" curriculum, where only brief mention of Islam, Arabs and Muslims, and their presence in Spain predominate. These are usually accompanied by images - for cognitive support - that serve to maintain an exotic, anti-modern, anti-Western and, in other words, an "Orientalist" image of this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes parents' perceptions of their role in supporting educational opportunities for their children, based on a qualitative study of parents and teachers in a rural community in Paraguay. The parents' views on participation are positioned within the context of the intended goals for parent participation outlined in Paraguayan educational reform. Through analysis of parents' narratives about the ways they choose to participate in their children's schooling, this article examines how parents negotiate between collective and individual actions to support their children's education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sometimes an educational idea is inexplicably adopted around the world with remarkable speed and consistency and in the absence of a proper evidence base or with little regard or respect for teachers, students or learning. This paper examines what has arguably been the most contentious and virulent educational reform of the past half-century. Variously labelled, in what amounts to the self-managing school, what this reform has done is virtually dismantle public education and privatise it without public debate or proper scrutiny. This paper considers the alleged claims by the enthusiastic proponents and examines what has subsequently transpired, particularly in respect of the most disadvantaged students and the broader mission of improved learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the idea of decentralization in art education. It is the author's opinion that the act of learning is accelerated by an open communication process that allows students to apply their own meaning to ideas, objects, and experiences. She challenges the traditional classroom environment where there is a hierarchical relationship between teachers and students. Topics discussed include how studio critiques can be decentralized, how educators can become comfortable in relinquishing control, and how art education can help students become more aware of their role in contemporary society.

This article argues that processes of disconnect and capture have affected Nepal's efforts to decentralise its education system, leading to a failure to engage the very stakeholders - parents and communities - that the reforms sought to reach. Specifically, disconnect occurred in the development and implementation of the latest 'decentralisation' reforms because they were formulated via a highly centralised policy-making process and then implemented from the top down. As a result, they had little impact on community-level school leadership or ownership, and led to a continued exclusion of the very community-level stakeholders that the reforms sought to engage. Furthermore, the policy reforms have also led to an increased central legitimisation and empowerment of school management committees, which in turn has facilitated the capture and politicisation of these bodies by locally established leaders who are often not motivated to engage parents and community members in school reform. While these processes are not necessarily new phenomena to Nepal, they illustrate the extent to which globalised policy agendas have been ineffective in engaging community-level stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the nexus between foreign aid and Nepal's primary education in order to understand how aid agencies affect national educational development. It argues that after 1990, when global education targets provided the basic framework for all donor agency funding to primary education and the subsequent use of a sector-wide approach to achieve them, 'national' education policy-making has become relatively unimportant if not meaningless because the documents produced within the parameters of global education targets have become the de facto policies. Moreover, the traditional policy-making function of the Ministry of Education (MOE) has 'transcended' to a higher donor - MOE level, relegating the role of the Ministry to 'managing' aid and aid agencies. This increased donor-ministry nexus has narrowed the avenues for broader participation by other relevant national stakeholders. Ironically, all this is happening amidst calls for decentralisation of educational planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries in South Eastern Europe (SEE) have been going through a massive chain of transformations in the past years, including educational policy reform. This research explores whether elementary and secondary education decentralization reforms in SEE countries have led to higher participation rates of parents in school management. In order to do that we employ a simple regression analysis model that has as dependent variable the level of parental involvement in school management. The advancement of decentralization in four educational policy areas — financing, human resources, school network and curriculum — count as independent variables. The latter are quantified based on a standardized grill of sub-functions and the level of government in charge with each of them. International reports, expert interviews and national laws in effect are used in order to complete the analysis sheet for each of the countries in the sample - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia. The dependent variable, the parent participation index (PPI), is calculated based on statistical data collected during the 2008 School Principals' Survey. The results show that while curriculum decentralization has a negative effect on parents' participation rates, decentralization of education financing and school network has a positive statistically significant impact on parent's participation in school management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the general education reform at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). It states that UNL chancellor Harvey Perlman viewed the Comprehensive Education Program (CEP) of the UNL as unattractive to students and is complicated and needs reform. It mentions that an advisory council and planning team were created to draft a reform that will focus on transparency, sustainability, and accommodation, which was approved in 2008 to be implemented in 2009. The authors argue that the new Achievement-Centered Education (ACE) program satisfies the learning outcomes of UNL undergraduate colleges by establishing college-specific additional requirements. Moreover, the ACE program has led to the decentralization of UNL departments and has allowed teachers to participate and adapt.

During the past decades, the work of Finnish school leaders has been affected in a profound way due to the decentralisation of the Finnish educational system and ever increasing teacher professionalisation. The purpose of this study is to deepen our understanding of the challenges facing Finnish school leaders in their daily work, and to shed light on the circumstances affecting their work motivation, in a positive as well as a negative way. The empirical material consists of interviews with three strategically selected principals from different educational levels. The material is analysed and interpreted within a narrative three-step model, and the results are discussed with reference to three arenas: the individual arena, the school arena and the societal arena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the arguments that neo-liberal policies discuss within the context of re-structuring the state and eliminating its public side is decentralization policy. Decentralization occupies an important area in re-structuring the education, a public service, besides covering a broad list of concepts, each of which has differed features, political applications and conditions of success. Although decentralization in education seems to have lots of outer appearances, "school autonomy" appears as one of the strongest structures of decentralization in education administration. School autonomy is practiced by various programs in countries experiencing neoliberal transformation. Along with this fact, studies conducted put forth that school autonomy is a process producing complexity and inequality beyond the limits of expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to explore to which extant have concepts of community education been developed in Serbia through analyzing a successfully implemented project FBAER. Starting with the idea that the community education in Serbia does not exist in the terms that it encompasses the initiative coming from citizens themselves who represent a considerable agent of change of their own circumstances through developing personal capacities, in this paper we demonstrate and elaborate on mechanisms which were developed during the project and which demonstrate its connection with the community in which it is being implemented. The paper also illustrates the status quo of basic adult education in Serbia in order to gain insight in current problems but also in lack of existence of local resources used for the development of the community and its citizens. It can be said that during the project effective mechanisms of connecting with the local community have been developed but that mechanisms themselves weren't the goal. Nevertheless, they had a significant role in the implementation of the project and as such they were later on included in the mainstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to examine the impact of decentralization in education on the enrolment and dropouts at primary school level in the province and its low literacy and high literacy districts. Two districts, one from the low literacy category and the other from the high literacy category were selected randomly. A complete cohort of students from grade 1 to grade 5, separately for the pre-devolution period (1997-2002) and post-devolution period (2003- 2007) were followed using data from Education Management Information System Punjab (EMIS) for the former and Program Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU) for the later period. A significant increase in enrolment and decline in dropout was observed during the post-devolution period. The less developed, low literacy district responded in a more positive way. Thus the findings support the argument that decentralization will help in expanding access to education and controlling dropouts which may lead to early attainment of universal primary education in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents practical aspects of decentralization school network encountered last year in Pre School in Gorj. This took into account the reorganization of school network according to school population dynamics, especially in rural areas of labor mobility in both urban and rural areas, at the request of local communities in order to ensure equal opportunities to education for all children, increasing quality of education, upgrading school facilities and cost effectiveness of educational administration In this highly complex process are covered actions and different areas of the local and school curricula, pupils' choices and their correlation with local needs of the present and future labor market. It stresses the complementary activities of this phenomenon, those related to school management, counseling and guidance, training, financial management, academic and extracurricular programs and projects, EU projects, partnerships and examples of good practice, inclusion and social cohesion at EU level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the perceptions of public school principals in New Orleans, Louisiana during the period of extensive decentralization in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Using the frameworks of systems theory and chaos/complexity theories, iterative interviews with 10 school principals form the core data which examines leaders' experiences in an increasingly market-oriented urban school system. The following themes emerged during constant comparative analysis: (1) the omnipresence of storm recovery in principals' lives, (2) the lingering presence of the pre-Katrina school system, and (3) the emerging inequalities of the post-Katrina system. The analysis also identifies several broader system change concepts including: the strange attractor of inequality, differential perturbance, requisite stability, and a need for system leadership to counteract inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]