Contrary to the claims of its critics, the introduction of self-managing schools under the ERA and its counterpart in other countries did not lead to the privatization of public education. Self-managing schools have been one manifestation of a general trend to decentralization in public education in many countries since the late 1960s. The…

This paper discusses resource allocation at the school level, concentrating particularly on school-based budgeting. School-based budgeting is a process calling for preparation and administration of a budget for the allocation of the individual school's resources by the school principal, usually in consultation with staff and parents. The paper…

Changes in the Australian public school principal's role have been sweeping and dislocating. Schools will move even further toward self-management under market conditions. To be effective, principals must be able to develop and carry out a cyclical process of goal-setting, need identification, priority setting, policy making, planning, budgeting,…

This paper outlines an approach to administrator assessment and inservice education that contrasts with the frequently haphazard and diverse procedures now prevalent in Canada. The approach is based on the systematic identification of competencies required of an administrator. After reviewing trends in the "competency movement,"…