This paper advocates giving urgent attention to improving the education and training of educational administrators and managers, realizing the need to respond to rapid and far-reaching political and social change worldwide, and to consequent change within national educational systems. The improvement of administrative structures and the development of human resources through effective educational leadership are seen as complementing strategies. It is argued that if administrators rely on their own previous experiences and on learning by trial and error, disastrous mistakes can occur when managing education in periods of unpredictable change. There is a strong case both for pre-service and for continuing in-service education and training. An overview is given of the education and training provision as it has developed in the twentieth century in the U.S. hemisphere and elsewhere. Achieving a creative and productive relationship between theory and practice is presented as an essential requirement of effective administrative training. The planning and the provision of programs of quality are considered, beginning with the identification of the training needs for different groups by means of appropriate research. The powerful, potential contribution of distance education is noted, taking account experience already gained by UNESCO and other bodies, and of promising technological developments. Finally, it is argued that the time is ripe for an imaginative new initiative, building on what has already been achieved by UNESCO and other agencies. A 39-item list of references is included. (DB)