Education reform has become part of a political imperative in a number of developed countries around the world. The simultaneous movement to reform schooling and the administrative structures which deliver educational services therefore needs to be studied in order to lay bare its fundamental assumptions. This movement has been labelled "restructuring" and "reform", although the words carry different meanings in different countries.; The authors question why this reconstruction occurred at the same time in different places. What common themes are emerging in the restructuring movement? And in the 1990s, where will the movement lead schooling and what essential changes will it effect? They explore these questions by examining developments in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.