The Challenge of Devolution

Abstract

It has become fashionable in the West to speak of ‘change management’ in matters of educational reform, yet this term gives a somewhat misleading impression of the nature of the task facing the various levels of administration in the Russian system, for processes of educational change, in any country, are extremely complex affairs that can verge on being uncontrollable.¹ As policies move into the implementation phase, the central authorities lose ultimate control over the course of reform, even in what seems to be a highly controlled, centralised, unitary system, as individuals, groups and institutions respond to its policies and demands. The question is not one of managing, or controlling change, but of attempting to shape the environment in which it is to take place, creating conditions that are conducive to successful implementation.