Effective leadership and management are increasingly recognised as vital components of successful schooling. This paper examines how they are practiced in England, where there is a high degree of centralization, notably in respect of finance and staffing, but within a tightly constrained curriculum and inspection framework. The paper discusses…

The Education Reform Act 1988 increased the scope of headteachers' work and led to an emphasis on "management", often interpreted as the implementation of government policies, checked through the Ofsted inspection regime. Following the election of a Labour government in 1997, the discourse changed to "leadership". Leadership…

This article reports upon research investigating the rapid rise to prominence of distributed leadership in schools in England. Distributed leadership is located within wider structural reforms of education in England as part of the New Public Management movement in public service delivery and the marked discursive shift to leadership which took…

A recently announced government initiative for educational reform in Cyprus has set school autonomy high on the agenda. This article aims to throw more light into this effort, while localizing the intention for decentralization within the context and peculiarities of the Cyprus educational system. In particular, this article outlines the…

In this paper, contemporary literature on strategy in education is examined in an integrative and analytical manner. To achieve this, an empirical investigation on strategy in education was undertaken. As the goal is to understand and propose specific research directions, the findings are both descriptive and analytical. Initially, peer reviewed…

While university programs for preparing educational leaders in the U.S. have come under fire, England's recently established National College for School Leadership has been held up as a model to emulate. Tony Bush reports from England on the perceptions there of this highly influential new player. (Contains 21 endnotes.)

Examines the primary school deputy headteacher's changing role following implementation of Britain's 1988 Education Reform Act. Using qualitative data from 50 schools in England and Wales, documents an ever-expanding role, accompanied by tensions between classroom teaching and wider curriculum and managerial responsibilities. Recommends limited…

Uses findings of a national longitudinal study to examine the changing role of secondary principals in England and Wales. Explains the United Kingdom's education system, outlines the principal's role within the context of unprecedented educational change, and discusses strategies for coping with changes and balancing roles as educators and…

Case study data from six primary schools are drawn upon to examine the reality of primary headteacher leadership. Three alternative theoretical models of leadership are used to analyse the ways in which it has changed since the Education Reform Act (1988) and the implications of these changes for leading teaching and learning. Prior to 1988…