Since 1990, head teachers and school governors in England and Wales have had extensive powers to manage school budgets - and are responsible for all of a school's resource needs, including staff. As the school budget is dependent on pupil numbers and parents now have more choice over which school their child will attend, local management has had profound effects on how schools are managed and resourced. This text offers an evaluation of local management and contextualizes it within an international trend towards decentralized school management. It presents empirical evidence to support the government's claim that local management plays a key role in raising standards of teaching and learning.

Author Biography

The Author Rosalind Levacic studied economics at London University and taught economics at a technical college, polytechnic and at the Open University before taking up a lectureship in educational management in the School of Education where she is now Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Educational Policy and Management. She has been principal investigator for an ESRC funded study on 'The Impact of Formula Funding on Schools.' She has worked as a consultant on several projects concerned with the financing of schools and is a school governor. She has also written widely on the financial and resource management in education.