Many school systems across the world are actively seeking to improve student outcomes, processes that are frequently underwritten by reform in terms of structure and functions. A general tendency is to follow the trend perceived in public sector management to allocate accountability locally through devolution. This often means policies of school autonomy which are intended to enhance the qualityof educational provision in search of higher levels of student attainment. The key question to ask is why is enhanced student attainment such an objective for global reform? This paper identifies which drivers for reform are dominating the global picture and, perhaps just as importantly, explore what could and should be the factors which underpin school based education as we move further into the current century. A case is made that the two principal divers of reform are economic and globalisation: economic because most governments seeking reform are seemingly driven by international comparisons which suggest enhanced student outcomes will benefit their gross domestic product (GDP) and globalization because countries reliant upon natural mineral resources are now recognising a need to enable their workforce to interact successfully beyond their own borders and culture. In returning to the could and should, however, the ongoing pandemic caused by Covid-19 demonstrates it has become apparent there is a need to revisit the way in which schools are structured to aid student learning, with the use of digital devices and artificial intelligence emerging as two fundamental issues to be addressed in school reform. What we have witnessed in 2020 is a shift to reorganising student learning towards remote or blended learning and what we have seen is rapid, required change which, arguably, was needed. As Vladimir Lenin stated “There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen” – this seems to sums up recent experience
