This proceedings of an international conference examines the nature of school self-management around the world. The volume opens with the keynote address by, Tony Townsend, which provides an overview of school self-management, effective education, and the school-effectiveness movement. Some of the topics addressed include student achievement, the purpose of resource allocation, and market forces. The next three papers offer a response to the keynote address. The first, by Kathie Irwin, centers on Maori education in New Zealand and claims that the self-managing school has not been shown to have a marked effect on improving student achievement. The second and third responses, by Graeme Marshall and Nola Hambleton describe the difficulty in defining school effectiveness. The next paper, by Cathy Wylie, explores school self-management in New Zealand, claiming that there are few data to allow comparisons before and after the introduction of school self-management. Frances Salt discusses policy and research questions concerning school self-management and school effectiveness in the following article. The effectiveness of schools in certain geographical regions and other issues are also discussed in the last two papers, by Howard Fancy and Richard Harker, examine what it will take to manage schools in a changing environment, the importance of professional leadership, and the need for a coherent approach in education. (RJM)