Policy, equity, and diversity in global context educational leadership after the welfare state

The role of the school administrator is changing rapidly. In New York City, for example, the role of a principal is modeled after that of a chief executive officer. The school district has essentially disappeared, as has any mechanism for citizen input under mayoral control. Principals instead deal with “vendors” in a marketplace to contract for services. They purchase professional development packages that contain different prices for different services. Many aggressively market their schools, partner with the private sector, and engage in data-driven decision-making like any businesses leader would do, except the data is mostly test scores. While New York City may represent an extreme case of the marketization of leadership, similar examples could also be found in Chile, Singapore, or England. This chapter will provide a global overview of the shifting economic and policy context that is radically reengineering the role of school and district administration from one of public servant to one of private sector CEO and the serious implications these changes have for equity and diversity.