ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the general historical, political and educational context in which change has been taking place. It examines the actual impact of the changes on teachers in schools and classrooms. Schools, together with many other institutions in society, are undergoing radical change, in a process that has come to be known as 'restructuring'. Published test scores aim to provide a basis for both parental choice of school and school accountability to the community. System-wide changes are intended to stimulate the transformation of the internal organization and culture of the school. The restructured school is seen by some as the self-managing, autonomous or empowered school. The management of consent and collaboration is a key role for leaders of self-managing schools. Control in the schools is exercised through management, considered by policymakers as the means of implementing the reforms in the schools, and also to act as a 'panacea for easing the tensions' of restructuring.
