HOW CAN EVALUATION CONTRIBUTE TO EDUCATIONAL POLICY? THE USES OF INFORMATION IN AUSTRALIA 1 Barry McGaw Educational policy is formulated and implemented at the system and the school levels. Even where the system sets strong constraints on what schools do, there is always some level of discretion at the School level about the particular shape of policies and how they are implemented. Some highly decentralized systems, such as those in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, are seeking to develop stronger national policies to set up a framework for school policies. Some traditionally centralized systems are devolving much more responsibility for decision-making about pohcy and practice to the school level, but may establish some kind of accountability framework to make clear to schools in which respects they must report to central authorities about their policies, programmes and performance. Original language: Englisb Barry McGaw (Australia) Ph.D. fromthe University of lllinois.Since 1986, Directorof the AustralianCouncilfor Educational Research. Originallytrained as a secondary science teacher. After completinga post-graduate B.Ed. Honours degree, he joined the Research and Curriculum Branch of the Queensland Department of Education. Following a period of further study in the United States, he became Head of that Branch. In 1976, he was appointed Professor of Education at the Murdoch University in Western Australia. Research interests are in measurement,learning and research policy. He has been engaged in a number of projects for UNESCO and the OECD. E-mail: mcgaw@acer.edu.au Prospects, uol. XXVIIh no. 1, March 1998