ABSTRACT
Newspaper headlines such as 'Power to the People!' reflect public interpretation of the thrust of the government-sponsored report on educational administration in New Zealand, Administering for Excellence (1988). On the face of it, the subsequent changes away from a centralized administrative structure towards decentralization and local parental 'control' of schools could look appealing to those concerned about such issues as inequality in education. Liberal educationists have long argued that the 'solution' to inequitable patterns of educational achievement (in which working class, Maori and Pacific Island students show up poorly) lies at least partially in such groups being enabled to work out their own educational interests and act on these. Local involvement in school administration looks like a move towards such democratic possibilities.
