What Happened to 'Educational' in Educational Management and Leadership? The Rise of Managerialism

This paper argues that school leaders and managers are being forced to abandon their educational purpose and that leadership and management activities of school leaders are now purposed towards satisfying the needs of a managerialist elite. As a result, the best interests of learners/ students are placed secondary to the interests of the bureaucrats. The paper conceptualises educational leadership and educational management and the relationship between these two actions is explained. Thereafter, managerialism is defined and its expansion to an ideology is explained. Examples are provided of how managerialism manifests itself in education systems. [For the complete Volume 21 proceedings, see ED629259.]