ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses that the autonomous school movement reforms have resulted in what are mainly structural reforms that focus on organisation and management, rather than educational reforms that lead to the developments in pedagogical approaches. It shows that despite positive evidence from isolated cases, autonomous schools have struggled to deliver their ambitious promises, especially in relation to raising student attainment. The chapter also discusses the tensions in the autonomous school debate. It argues that, in the main, autonomous school reforms have not successfully delivered on their ambitious promises. A central reason for this is that there are have been contradicting forces at play, pulling the reforms in different directions. The chapter outlines the three main contradictory forces: free market approaches vs. educational equity; innovation vs. the nature of work in schools; and autonomy vs. control.
