Although the role of international organizations in the diffusion of education policy is widely acknowledged, their role in the articulation of policy ideas remains comparatively underresearched. This article addresses this gap through a case study on the role of the OECD in the construction of the School Autonomy with Accountability policy…

The public charter school movement is premised on the exchange of increased autonomy for increased accountability. Individual schools are given more flexibility in their actions, and then must meet agreed-upon benchmarks of quality. If a school fails to fulfill the terms of its charter or achieve its stated goals, it can be closed. However,…

While past studies on school district decentralization found that central office leaders can limit school leaders' decision-making power, the studies did not examine how they do so. We investigated this in eight elementary schools in two large urban school systems with official policies of school site-based decision-making. We found that even…

While past studies on school district decentralization found that central office leaders can limit school leaders' decision-making power, the studies did not examine how they do so. We investigated this in eight elementary schools in two large urban school systems with official policies of school site-based decision-making. We found that even…

The doctrine of university autonomy in the UK contains a least two major "fault-lines" where the structure is inherently weak and there is danger of functional breakdown. The first occurs at the junction between the institution and the state, the second within the institution, where the unity in policy-making between academic and…

In April 2004, all national universities, which had previously been legally subordinate to MEXT (Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture), were given a legal personality and became "National University Corporations". With this change, each national university now enjoys greater autonomy vis-a-vis the government in terms of how it uses…

The higher education system in Israel is discussed, noting that tertiary education in that country makes a clear distinction between higher (university and academic) education and postsecondary education that is largely vocational. The Planning and Grants Committee (PGC) of the Council for Higher Education is responsible for the budgets of…

"Organized anarchies" is how Michael Cohen and James March have described American universities. The lack of rational-deductive organizational characteristics in higher education has encouraged it to be "playful" in a way that is "sensibly foolish." Budgetary pressures will force universities to become more…

The current structure of governance and decision making in Swedish higher education and the effects of recent national reform on perceived and actual autonomy at the central, regional, and local levels are discussed. An initial desire for more decentralized decision making has turned to increasing demand for more guidance by central organizations.…

Over a decade ago New Jersey granted significant financial and operating autonomy to its state colleges. A look back to 1986, when the legislation was being implemented, identifies elements that enabled the successful transfer of responsibilities from the state to the campus. These included three categories of specific autonomies: cash management,…

The evolving patterns of authority in the higher education systems of countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are reviewed. Attention is directed to the major characteristics of the traditional patterns of authority, pressures for changed experiences during the transformation from elite to…

The transition from an elite university to a mass university has characterized modern university life. The purely quantitative development has been accompanied by a number of changes in the decisionmaking system in higher education. No systematic comparative studies exist of the development of the decisionmaking system. A project is under way at…

A former senior government education official traces the emergence of Britain's National Advisory Board for local authority in higher education and discusses political issues in the policy formation and resource allocation processes during its first few years. (MSE)

Describes a study of the location of decision-making authority in state community colleges at the college or governance board level. Examines differences in authority for academic, personnel, and administrative matters. Suggests that decision-making authority generally rested at the local level, although personnel decisions were more likely to be…

In a national survey, public university faculty, presidents, trustees, coordinating boards, and legislators (total n=251) identified where they felt authority effectively rested for five typical university-related decisions and where they believed authority should rest. Although most believed in campus-based decisions, there was some disagreement…