This is a study of large-scale education reform in five different settings: England, New Zealand, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Manitoba and the US state of Minnesota. The book looks at a variety of reforms covering: school choice; charter schools; increased testing of students; stricter curriculum guidelines; and local school management. Drawing from theoretical and empirical work in education, political theory, organizational theory and public administration, It provides a clearly developed conceptual framework of analyzing reform programmes. The author reviews the political origins of the reforms, the process of adoption into law, the implementation processes used to support the reforms and the results of the reforms for students, schools and communities.