Are teachers losing control of the classroom? Global changes in school governance and teacher responsibilities, 2000-2015

Despite frequent calls for greater teacher autonomy, governments across the globe have increasingly shifted decision-making away from the classroom. In this study, we use cross-national data from the Programme for International Student Assessment to examine changes in decision-making responsibilities across 33 countries from 2000 to 2015. We find that in most countries, teachers have lost decision-making authority, while governments and school leaders have gained authority. We also find that gains in government authority have a negative impact on teachers' level of responsibility, especially in the domain of curriculum and instruction. These changes pose a threat to teachers' professionalism and autonomy.