Self-evaluation in schools sits at the top of the national agenda in response to an awareness that performance tables and inspector's reports can only tell a partial story. Schools are now encouraged to raise questions about 'How are we doing?' and 'How do we know?'. Self-Evaluation: What's in it for Schools? demystifies school self-evaluation and encourages schools to be self-critical and self-confident. The book helps schools and teachers develop the necessary confidence to work with evaluation tools. Accessible and packed with case studies, it tackles the issues that are at the forefront of the national agenda in most countries in Europe. Challenging ideas for the future are given through discussion of the concerns and issues of schools in the present day.

This book provides an overview and discussion of the evidence base of effective school inspections; reflecting on issues of validity and reliability of school inspections in relation to school effectiveness research, unintended consequences and emergent roles and responsibilities of Inspectorates of Education. Chapters include findings from systematic literature reviews and primary research while also presenting a range of practical examples from inspections systems from all over the world. The book provides relevant background materials for Inspectorates of Education who aim to improve the effectiveness of their systems and working methods, as well as clear examples for researchers aiming to analyse and understand the effectiveness of these systems. The final chapter reflects on changes in the current education landscape and discusses newer models of school inspections that fit within a more decentralized inspection system.

Written for heads and teachers but also containing useful pointers for inspectors, this forward-thinking book examines exactly what the relationship between inspection and self-evaluation means for schools.

This best-selling book illustrates how schools can tell their own story. It draws on ground-breaking work with the National Union of Teachers to demonstrate a practical approach to identifying what makes a good school and the part that pupils, parents and teachers can play in school improvement. Its usefulness for and use by, classroom teachers to evaluate their practice will prove to be its greatest strength in an ever expanding effectiveness literature.

This report provides an international comparative analysis and policy advice to countries on how evaluation and assessment arrangements can be embedded within a consistent framework to improve the quality, equity and efficiency of school education.

School evaluation is often linked to issues of accountability, performance assessment, regulation and inspection, where the work of teachers and/or the functioning of the school becomes the subject of critique. School Evaluation with a Purpose explores the latest thinking surrounding external and self-evaluation in schools. Examining teacher professionalism, reflective practice and what really matters in education, it considers the key challenges around current evaluative practice and puts forward alternative methods of evaluation, placing reflective practice and teacher professionalism at its heart. Exploring the stories of evaluation and the practice of resilient schools and school leaders in five European contexts, the book aims to support and promote the agency of teachers, school leaders and students. This book will be of particular interest to school leaders internationally, researchers, master's students of Education and Education Leadership, and policymakers responsible for law enforcement in the field of school inspection.

This book considers the impact of educational policies on those who have to translate political priorities into the day-to-day work of schools and classrooms.