Abstract This article provides an overview of the importance of and the steps to undertaking a classroom library diversity audit. It begins by situating the importance of the classroom library in children's development because literature can reflect and expand worldviews. Next, statistics of U.S. children's literature publishing and U.S. classroom…

This article traces the functioning of the Commissioners of National Education, outlining salient aspects of their activities in the national school system during Ireland's Great Famine of the 1840s. The role of the commissioners as an agency of government is explored in the context of their annual reports and their general response to the…

Since its inception in 1993, Ofsted has been charged with maintaining standards in schools in England. But how has this worked out? A former inspector gives his account of the journey from the inside. His point of view can be summarised from a conversation he had with a senior Ofsted inspector on his first Inspection: 'You're still on their side.…

Among the most important duties of the school inspectorate since its formation in 1839 has been to report on the quality of teaching. Yet there is relatively little historical discussion over how the inspectorate has defined and evaluated teaching quality, which this paper seeks to address. Following a discussion of conceptual issues and an…

In many mechanical engineering undergraduate curriculums, there are topics that are vital to the students' future careers in the manufacturing and design workforce that are not taught in-depth. As one of those topics, Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, or GD&T, is vital to companies who develop and manufacture products because it allows…

In the 1830s, England began to see the introduction of schools targeted at the whole population, and soon the first inspectors were appointed. Although they came from privileged backgrounds themselves, the earliest members of the Inspectorate were remarkably quick to recognise and address the challenges faced by teachers in elementary schools.…

This article exposes the fear that is at the heart of the Ofsted inspection process. It presents a challenge to Ofsted's Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. She must tread carefully if she is to reform Ofsted and our broken accountability system.

Established in 1992, Ofsted is championed by government ministers as the guardian of educational standards in schools and colleges. Ofsted has never produced any research on the validity of its inspection judgements. Ofsted has no evidence, other than rising percentages of schools being awarded positive Ofsted grades, to support its assertion that…

School inspections are a key component of the accountability system in many education systems, including England. The judgments and reports produced through these inspections are widely used by parents when they are choosing a school for their children. But should they be? This paper presents new evidence on this issue. We illustrate how parents…

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) annual plan identifies the audits, inspections, and other activities that the OIG intends to undertake to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities to America's citizens and students. The FY 2023 Annual Plan details the assignment areas and resources…

This chapter explores the issues of reliability and validity of inspection frameworks and methods, and challenges and tensions in inspection frameworks and methods. Validity is an important aspect of thinking about effective inspection system as invalid inspection systems may lead to flawed judgments which will misguide administrative…

The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBG Act, as amended) is the main federal law governing child care programs for low-income working families. The CCDBG Act authorizes discretionary appropriations to support grants to state, territorial, and tribal lead agencies. Lead agencies use these funds to subsidize the child care…

In this essay, I discuss my experience as a member of my university's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Using Blum's (2016) model of experiential learning (or "learning in the wild"), I reflect on the connected processes of reading, thinking, seeing, hearing, smelling, talking, and listening that were the basis for my…

In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the limitations imposed by the restrictive payment-by-results curriculum were gradually relaxed, and many members of Her Majesty's Inspectorate were able to welcome the opportunity to focus their efforts upon supporting schools, teachers, and even individual pupils. This article looks at the work of…

This chapter focuses on the governing work of Swedish school inspectors with regards to the role and function of knowledge. As professionals, inspectors are situated as relays and brokers of policy standing in contact with both the political arena and practice arenas. School inspectors use and produce knowledge and they rely on, search for,…