Book excerpt: `One of the difficulties with the production of a book that describes the international terrain of leadership and management is that political and social contexts in which policy and practice occur are multi-dimensional. Yet the authors have successfully woven a narrative that engages the reader and helps shape our understanding of diverse ways in which leading and managing occurs in a range of countries. In particular I found the examples regarding schools, resources and teachers′ professional work from developing countries a disturbing component of what could be termed the trauma of leadership in those sites. These examples serviced to enrich my own understanding and provide further evidence that there can be no framework or paradigm for understanding leadership and management in a global context′ - Educational Review `Foskett and Lumby′s book forms an important and a timely contribution to comparative international studies of educational leadership.... In challenging a range of deeply embedded suppositions about leading and managing in education the authors remind us regularly that the mightiest task of even the most accomplished transformational leader, or radical government policy, is to transform values, attitudes and professional culture. So this exposition of similarities and contrasts in practices makes a useful contribution to the literature on educational leadership in this country and beyond′ - David Wood, Journal of Inservice Education This accessible book provides a critical review of educational leadership and management from an international perspective. It addresses the expectation that practitioners and students of educational management and administration will have an international perspective on their roles, responsibilities and tasks. Increasingly, teachers as education leaders are expected to keep pace with developments in other school and college systems, and to engage with international networks to debate and exchange practical experience. The book covers a series of key themes in educational leadership, drawing on a wide range of examples, including: - Learners and learning - People and communities in education - Managing strategy and resources - Learning futures and the changing challenges for educational leaders. In this context the authors: - Describe the international landscape of leadership and management. - Provide an overview of practice in different national settings. - Identify global patterns and trends. - Challenge some of the accepted norms in leadership and management. - Build managers′ confidence as part of a global community of professional educators. - Support informed choice about policy and practice from government to school. This is a key text for students of educational leadership and management as well as for managers and administrators in schools, colleges and other educational settings.