School Restructuring: : International Perspectives

Citation

Chi Kin Lee, J. (1998), "School Restructuring: : International Perspectives", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 402-403. https://doi.org/10.1108/jea.1998.36.4.402.1

This is a readable and interesting book on school restructuring drawing experiences mainly from England and Wales, the USA, Hong Kong and Australia. The book is divided into five parts: the background to school restructuring; restructuring in the aforementioned four parts of the world; the impact of restructuring on schools; the concept of dilemmas; and conclusion. While the first two parts are primarily based on international policy‐oriented case studies, the following two parts targeting the impact of restructuring on schools and the concept of dilemmas are based on statistically‐based and qualitative case studies in Western Australia.

The book has some salient features and strengths. First, it focuses on restructuring in connection with curriculum, teaching and learning. Second, it highlights the changing roles of principals, teachers and parents in the context of restructuring and discusses the implications of school restructuring for these three types of key stakeholders. Third, the case studies provide worthwhile examples of systematic and rigorous research on school restructuring with described methods of investigation which can be replicated elsewhere for international comparison. Last, the authors assert three major propositions analytically generated from the case studies with related principles of practice for policy makers. All these propositions point to the need for policy makers to reflect on the reasons, the messages and policy environments for principals, teachers and parents to meaningfully engage in school restructuring.

If the restructuring policy should orient towards the “democratisation of education” (p. 175), issues related to student empowerment should be highlighted. Future editions of this book could be enriched by including student perspectives on school restructuring. Moreover, the authors may consider elaborating on the impact on school restructuring of school‐university or school‐business partnerships. Such partnership experiences are increasingly important in North America and include initiatives such as the New American school, the accelerated schools project, the coalition of essential schools and the learning consortium, through which principals and teachers strive to connect with the wider environment.

Overall, the book offers theoretical, empirical and practical insights related to school restructuring. This book should be of interest and value to policy‐makers, school principals and teachers as well as researchers and students of educational administration and management and school curriculum, particularly in developed countries.