Education policy is high on the agenda of governments across the world. As global pressures focus increasing attention on the outcomes of education policy and on their implications for economic prosperity and social citizenship, the experience of each individual learner is decisively shaped by the wider policy environment. However, there is often an underdeveloped understanding of how education policy is formed, what drives it and how it impacts on schools and colleges. This book explicitly makes these connections and links these to the wider challenges of educational leadership in a modern context. "Policy in Education" is divided into three sections, which examine: the development of policy at the level of the nation state and of individual institutions; the forces that shape policy with emphasis on human capital theory, citizenship and social justice and accountability; and, the research-based case-studies highlighting the application of policy in a range of situations. This book provides a valuable resource for students, practitioners, middle managers and educational leaders in all sectors, both in the UK and internationally, who are engaged on masters and doctoral degrees, or undertaking leadership training and preparation programmes.