As a result of social and economic trends of the past decade, public schools in industrialized nations now face severe political problems, manifested by declines in enrollment, budget, public confidence, and legitimacy of administrative authority. As a consequence, a fundamental reassessment of educational policy and management is underway in many settings. The introductory paper in this volume therefore illustrates ways in which political science can illuminate and assist this reassessment. Topics discussed include the context of decline, the relationship between political science and educational administration, the politics and management of decline, and rethinking educational policy and its implementation. The second part of the volume consists of four articles by separate authors on related topics: (1) "Leadership for Cut-back Management: The Use of Corporate Strategy," by R. Behn; (2) "School Administrators Beseiged: A Look at Australian and American Education," by T. Murphy; (3) "Toward A Political Economy of Educational Innovation," by G. J. Papagiannis and others; and (4) The Politics of Curriculum Change and Stability," by W. L. Boyd. An annotated bibliography completes the volume. (TE)