Proposals for the Reform of Educational Administration in England and Their Relevance for Australia

Abstract

Australian educators need to be very careful not to accept uncritically the comments on educational administration made by overseas visitors, particularly those from North America, who have been inclined to emphasise the great need for more local interest and responsibility in this country. The English experience as interpreted by the recent Maud Commission on Local Government seems to show that there is much to be gained from having a relatively large unit to decide on major questions of policy and finance, provided that there can be, beneath them, smaller authorities and bodies which have sufficient responsibility to ensure that local needs are understood and that local variations can bo made within the general framework. The English model may well have important implications for the administration of education in Australia.