Teacher storytelling: A means for creating and learning within a collaborative space

Research has suggested that collaborative professional communities of teachers support on-going teacher professional development, school reform, and student achievement. Little research has outlined how teachers, especially high school teachers, develop new patterns of interaction to create such communities. This articles focuses on how teacher storytelling fostered collegiality and learning for a cross-disciplinary group of high school teachers. The storytelling helped the teachers create a collaborative learning space, link the personal–private realm of teaching to the public-conceptual realm, reflect on their teaching and see new practical directions, and co-construct a shared understanding of good pedagogy.     

Explaining effects and side effects of school inspections: a path analysis

There are large differences between schools with regard to how they are affected by a school inspection. This study provides quantitative evidence about the extent to which perceived effects and side effects of an inspection are related to the inspection’s judgement on the school, to features of the inspection, and to school features. This study draws on quantitative data collected from 2,202 teachers in Flemish primary and secondary schools that had recently been inspected. Using path analysis, it investigates the existence and strength of relationships between the perceived effects and side effects of inspection, on the one hand, and the perceived inspection quality, the perceived school’s policy-making capacities, and the inspection judgement, on the other hand. The analysis reveals that most effects and several side effects are predominantly explained by the perceived inspection quality. Emotional side effects during inspection are best predicted by the school’s policy-making capacities.     

英国学校督导体系变革的特点及其启示

用历史的眼光审视20世纪90年代以来英国督导制度的演变过程,剖析英国督导框架历次修订中所进行的制度改进,可以发现英国督导体系变革呈现出如下主要新特点:强化督导的发展性功能,注重学校改进;把儿童青少年放在第一位,强调全体学生的全面发展;注重学校自我评估,将其作为反映学校管理水平的重要指标;提高督导效率,减轻学校负担。这些新的特点对于我国正在进行的学校督导评估改革具有积极的借鉴意义。     

Welche schulischen Merkmale beeinflussen die Unterrichtsqualität? Sekundäranalysen auf Grundlage von Schulinspektionsdaten

The present study examines the assumption of positive correlations between certain characteristics of school organization (goals, organization and human resources) and teaching quality. Therefore, inspection data from the Brandenburg school inspection are examined. These data are suitable due to the wide coverage of school and teaching characteristics and the fact that data from approximate all public schools is available. The results confirm positive correlations between school characteristics and teaching quality at the school level in the range of small to medium effects. Moreover, with an increase in school characteristics, the variation of teaching quality within a school decreases (small effects). The study provides evidence on potentials and limitations of inspection data for school quality research and the optimization of current inspection instruments.     

Führen verschiedene Inspektionskonzepte zu unterschiedlicher Akzeptanz und Verwendung der Ergebnisse durch Schulleitungen und Lehrkräfte?

In the past decade, variant inspection procedures have been implemented in the German federal states, setting different priorities in terms of objectives. For example, while Bremen focused only on school improvement, Berlin and Brandenburg focused equally on school improvement and control. Considering the differences in the inspection procedures, we investigate whether the variant designs lead to differing attitudes among school principals and teachers (N = 1589) towards the inspection procedure as well as to different school improvement activities. The results show more positive attitudes towards the inspection in Bremen. In all three federal states, cooperation and participation of students and parents increased after inspection. In Berlin and Brandenburg, schools’ self-evaluations increased. In the same two federal states, school documents and curricula were updated before the inspection, while in Bremen this occurred after the inspection. Teachers’ attitudes towards the inspection are slightly more critical in comparison with school principals.     

In the public eye: Swedish school inspection and local newspapers: exploring the audit–media relationship

This paper focuses on the dual dependencies apparent at the intersection of the media society and the audit society by empirically exploring and discussing the relationship between Swedish local newspaper coverage and school inspection activities. The research questions pertain to the Inspectorate’s media strategy, how inspection is represented and conveyed, the messages sent, and who gets to speak. Literature on governance, and the role and function of the media in the wider audit society is applied theoretically. Four municipalities were selected to represent different demographical and economical structures and previous inspection experiences. The empirical material includes interviews with leading inspection officers and newspaper articles. The local newspapers portray the Inspectorate as a legitimate institution acting on behalf of and protecting the public, and even more so, the educational consumer. The current format used by the Inspectorate – a succinct reporting only on deviations – links with a favored format of the media, reinforcing the tight media–inspection relationship and leading to implications for education governance and policy.     

Landscape of scholarship on principal training in China from 1989 to 2008

The past two decades have witnessed the great developments in principal training in China. Research on principal training in China is increasing in quantity and quality with its expanding practice. The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the changing landscape of scholarship on principal training in China by examining the quantity of publications, themes covered, methodological approaches and the status of articles published from 1989 to 2008, as listed in the Chinese Database of Journals. This is the first serious academic effort to review and reflect on the Chinese scholarship of principal training and school leadership development. In conclusion, suggestions are outlined for future development of this academic field in China.     

School Inspection: A Re-appraisal

In many countries school inspection is a major way in which schools are held accountable. This article sets out some of the limitations of inspection. The aims of inspection, the language of inspection and the inspection of standards, teaching and learning are examined critically. It is argued that school inspection does have its uses as an instrument of accountability but these are far more limited than governments or inspectorates themselves acknowledge.     

State school inspection policy in Norway and Sweden (2002–2012): a reconfiguration of governing modes?

There is growing research interest in school inspection throughout Europe; however, there have been few comparative studies between Swedish and Norwegian school inspectorates. Such a study is necessary since little is known about how inspection policies are shaped through ‘governing modes’ in the two Nordic countries. This paper explores the similarities and differences between state school inspection policies within the two countries from 2002 to 2012. Based on a rigorous, comparative document analysis of 23 policy documents, a particular focus is given to how school inspection adheres to professional-bureaucratic control as a mode of governing and/or details national expectations through performance audit, potentially intervening into school practices. We demonstrate that even if the cases of public administration seem to be somewhat homogenous from the outside, there is substantial evidence of major differences in the inspection policies of these two countries which can be explored by comparative analysis. Specifically, this paper contributes both conceptually and comparatively to understanding how a study of purposive and evaluative modes of governing can add to the field of school inspection studies.     

Insights gained by schools and emotional consequences of school inspections. A review of evidence

This study systematically reviews research evidence regarding two questions: (1) to what extent do schools gain insight into the quality of their own functioning as a result of an inspection? and (2) what are the emotional consequences of inspections experienced by school staff?

It provides a review of empirical research studies published as full-length articles in scientific journals and proceedings of international conferences, symposia and workshops, as well as in books or as book chapters, from 1995 until 2012. Both quantitative and qualitative data are considered. The review process identified 35 relevant publications that met the criteria for inclusion.

The review leads to the conclusion that inspections fail to contribute significantly to schools’ self-understanding, but that they lead to a severe negative emotional impact on school staff. Furthermore it is concluded that the current evidence base shows several gaps, mainly related to underlying explanatory features that contribute to the occurrence of these effects.     

How can the inspection process enhance improvement in special schools?

Abstract

The new system for the inspection of special schools was introduced in England in September 1994, using common criteria as those used for mainstream schools. One of the main purposes of inspection stated by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) is school improvement. This paper presents the perceptions of headteachers of the inspection process arising from the first inspections carried out during September‐December 1994. The evidence base used on these inspections is also considered. These data are used to suggest that school improvement can be enhanced by the inspection process under certain conditions. A preliminary exploration of these conditions is provided in the paper. Implications for the school inspection process, school self‐review and future research questions are identified.     

强化学校自我评价,提高督导效能——英国学校督导评价最新发展趋势

近年来,英国教育标准局为了提高督导效能,强化了学校自我评价,要求学校形成有效的自我评价机制,一方面作为外部督导评价的可靠依据,另一方面,作为学校实现自我改进、提升自我发展能力的重要机制。学校自评呈现出广泛参与、与学校发展计划紧密相联、将自评融入到学校日常管理中等特点,文章论述了英国教育标准局有关学校自评的内容和具体要求。     

Exploring and explaining the effects of being inspected

This study looks into the effects of school inspection in the context of Flemish education. Respondents in five primary case schools were interviewed before inspection, immediately after inspection and four months later (totalling 45 interviews with 15 respondents). Our results indicate that the inspection incites reflection amongst school staff on the quality of their education before the inspection takes place, but the inspection itself does not provide substantial new insights in the schools’ strengths or weaknesses. The inspection judgement strongly affects the response of school towards the inspection. The case schools with a positive inspection report take practically no concrete action for improvement in the four months after inspection, while a more active response is seen in a school with a less favourable inspection report. The article also discusses the impact of some of the particularities of the Flemish education context on the effects of inspection.     

英国督学的权威性与专业性及其对我国督导制度的思考

专业性和独立性是英国教育督导制度的两大特点,这一方面是由于英国教育管理体制的传统所致,在分权和自治的同时需要国家的监督,在实行国家监控的同时又要保持对专业人员的尊重和对专业自治文化的保护;另一方面是出于对教育督导性质的认识所致,督导的性质是一种专业性问责模式,是一种高度专业化的问责制度,英国督导制度的影响和核心权威来自于督导制度专业化程度的高度发展。     

Der Zusammenhang von Schulleitungshandeln,Unterrichtsgestaltung und Lernerfolg

Indicators and instruments for determining and measuring school quality within inspection systems are usually based on frameworks for inspection. These frameworks rely heavily upon school and teacher effectiveness research. Thus, a central assumption is that the effectiveness and improvement-oriented school conditions, as measured within an inspection, are related to student achievement. It is unclear if this assumption really holds true, as empirical evidence is still lacking. This study uses data from a random sampling of schools (n = 37) and teachers (n = 1663) and the achievement data from students (n = 23,943) to validate the interpretations and uses of school inspection results regarding the factor school leadership. The study follows Kane’s argument-based approach for validation. Results reveal that principals of schools with recurrent high student achievement very often demonstrate instructional leadership. It is evident that these principals are also leading in a fundamentally different way from principals in schools with lower achievement in that they lead with the specific school context in mind. The study demonstrates that it is possible to make inferences from scores provided by school inspections and to generalize from them. However, this generalizability does not extend to making extrapolations or decisions based on these scores. The analyses make it clear that providing feedback solely on the strengths and weakness of a school is insufficient when it comes to stimulating school improvement through inspection.     

“Governing by templates” through new modes of school inspection in Norway

To date, few observational studies have addressed Scandinavian school inspectors in the field, specifically how inspectors use templates to monitor the formative assessment routines of schools and local school authorities. This paper investigates how the current inspection handbook is being adopted and enacted on the municipal level and the school level in Norwegian compulsory schools. Specifically, this study illuminates through observation two empirical examples of how one of the 17 County Governors’ Offices, as part of a larger study, conducted regular, state school inspection. Conceptually, the paper focuses on how inspection guides and steers though use of fixed templates. Analysis shows that inspectors and schools under scrutiny are struggling in combining the traditional focus on legal compliance with a more performative emphasis on formative assessment of students. In addition, the examples given highlight how combining field observation and the concept of “governing by templates” contributes to school inspection studies, in a dynamic policy context undergoing substantial change.     

学校督导变革的细节、特点及其反思——基于西部五省学校督导新模式的实践

我国西部在近10年开展的国际教育援助项目实施过程中,形成和推行了以英国督导经验为基础的学校督导新模式。这一新模式的特点主要体现为:以学校发展计划为基础;强调自评;建立伙伴关系;强化课堂观察;重视督导结果的应用;形成网状督导质量保障系统等。新模式反映了当今学校督导变革的趋势,深入分析、反思新模式的特点、运作细节、实践效果和相关问题,对建立和完善我国学校督导体系及这一模式的本土化、制度化有着重要的现实意义。     

Measure for Measure,or Inspecting the Inspectors

This article considers the impact of an Ofsted inspection on an inner-city school. It focuses on the methodology of the inspection, on the data which the inspectors gather and the data which are omitted from their account of a school. It suggests that there are serious flaws in the model of inspectors as objective and impartial chroniclers.     

Perilous times: an oral history of teachers’ experience with school inspection in the 1930s

School inspectors and school inspection were integral features of the elementary public school system in Ontario from the 1840s until the practice was abandoned in 1967. From its earliest beginnings and subsequent development, school inspection and school inspectors were established as an important institution of the educational state. By regulation every teacher in the province could expect a twice-annual unannounced visit from a state-appointed male school inspector – more frequently if difficulties arose. This study explores teachers’ experiences of school inspection and inspectors during the 1930s by drawing on the oral history accounts of 17 women and four men who taught elementary school in various regions of the province.