주요 OECD 국가들의 지방교육행정체제의 동향과 정책적 시사점

Recent Trends in Local Education Systems of Six OECD Countries and Their Policy Implications

This paper aims to compare the local education administration systems of six OECD countries -UK, France, Netherlands, Finland, Canada, and Sweden- using an analytical framework, to find their characteristics, and to put forward some policy suggestions to Korean government seeking a new local education governance. For this purpose, the local education systems of six countries which are regarded as leading countries in terms of educational competitiveness are systematically compared and some characteristics are derived. The selected criteria used are measures to reform the local education system, local education decentralisation efforts, accountability reinforcement measures, and level of education competitiveness. Among these criteria, special attention is given to decentralisation. It is concluded that decentralisation is not a goal in itself, it is a strategy, a means of enhancing the quality and relevance of education and improving its administration, so it should be adapted to the country s needs within a framework of continuity. In addition, it is important to be noted that care should be taken not to interrupt the process in the event of a change of government. Finally, it is also essential that local education policies that put decentralisation procedures into effect should be aimed principally at ensuring the continued improvement of educational quality and the strengthening of the school as the decision-making centre of the education system.