This paper explores the use, functions and constitutive effects of evaluation systems in local school governance, and identifies how contextual factors affect various uses of evaluation in this context. This case study of three Swedish municipalities demonstrates that local evaluation systems are set up to effectively sustain local school…

The Nigerian Government and other stakeholders invest heavily in Education. The Education system should therefore be held accountable to be sure that value is being given to justify the financial investments and the period of time spent schooling. This is only possible through the process of quality control of the Education system and it is…

During the first half of the 1990s, the British government turned inspection into an ambitious instrument of educational policy-making. What happens when schools are inspected is the subject of this book. Based on a 3-year study, it answers such questions as "What happens when the inspectors announce that they intend to call?,""How…

What really happens in an inspection of a primary school? Some answers to this question, with a focus on the technical and emotional results of such evaluations, are provided in this text. It is based on a research project involving over 80 interviews in 12 case studies of inspections carried out in England. The book, which is intended for primary…

Compares the policies of inspection in Finland and England where the former promotes school self-evaluation and the latter utilizes the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). Finds that OFSTED inspections affect teacher morale and focus on policies and procedures; in Finland, inspections lack a whole-school strategy but encourage changes in…