Developing cross-cultural perspectives on education and community

Anglo-American English-speaking perspectives generally dominate the field of educational administration. Most ‘international’ studies have tended to skirt the reality that practice and theory are socially constructed and manifestly influenced by the values, beliefs and assumptions school leaders in different cultural contexts carry into their schools. This chapter argues that if educational administration is to be more relevant both within countries and internationally it must take greater notice of how it is conceptualized and practiced in a broader range of cultural settings. The chapter has two major aims. The first argues that the near exclusive grounding of educational administration theory in Anglo-American values and understandings impedes theory development, restricts understandings of practice both between and within different societies and can lead to the cloning of inappropriate policies in some educational systems. The second discusses some key issues to be carefully considered if understanding and research is to proceed in a meaningful manner. The area presents abundant pathways for developing more inclusive understandings of how societal culture influences policy implementation, the practice of educational administration and the micro-relationships and processes within schools. Copyright © 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers.