ABSTRACT
The self-managing school, or school-based management, has been defined as a megatrend in education. In one form or another it seems to appear as a global phenomenon (Caldwell and Spinks 1992, Caldwell, 1997). It involves the delegation of authority and responsibility from central authorities to the school site. Around the world the scope of decisions given to schools under decentralization varies from a small to a large amount of district resources. Schools within a district are allotted money to purchase supplies, equipment, personnel, utilities, maintenance, and perhaps other services to their own assessment of what is appropriate. This is in contrast to a practice which requires that such decisions are made at the central office.
