In most English-speaking nations, there has been a sea change since 1980 in how people think about educational policy and the management of schools. Moreover despite significant differences in social and political traditions, there are striking parallels between these nations in the policies and reforms that have been adopted. These developments are clearly related to larger changes that have occurred in the way people think about the role of government and of the public services. This article argues that it is essential to scrutinize both the paradigms or theories influencing our thinking and the consequences of the biases built into them. Drawing on both the British and American experience, this article examines the dramatic shift that has occurred in educational policy and management, as both have been redirected by economic and outcome-oriented models.
