This book is based on a review of the literature on decentralization and teacher management. The focus is on basic formal education, mainly the primary and junior secondary levels of schooling, and on presenting a rationale for decentralizing teacher management. The book presents three models of decentralized teacher management, explores the different functions of teacher management and how these functions are handled in centralized and decentralized systems, examines the design of decentralization reforms in various countries, and discusses the political feasibility and legal implications of decentralizing teacher management. Since reliable data on decentralizing teacher management are limited, the changes that are described--changes that will affect the quality of teaching or learning--are tentative. Although recommendations for planners and policymakers are included, the book emphasizes the viability of the approaches taken so far and the available evidence regarding their efficacy. (Contains 70 references.) (RJM)