Quality and the rise of value-added in education: The case of Ireland

Brown, Martin; McNamara, Gerry; O’Hara, Joe

doi:10.1177/1478210316656506

Cited by 25 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The decentralisation of governance and the consequent drive to more actively include citizens in decision-making processes have become part of the discourse of public sector ‘reform’ in most European countries particularly in services such as healthcare and education (Beckmann et al, 2009; Verger and Curran 2014). This policy direction can, it is suggested by its proponents, serve a variety of purposes such as reducing state bureaucracy, improvement of services by both regulation and competition, and enhanced ‘stakeholder’ voice and choice (Brown et al, 2016a). In the education sector, for example, while accountability through the process of school inspection has become emphasised in most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, inspection models have matured and been adapted as educational evaluation systems mature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring parent and student engagement in school self-evaluation in four European countries

Brown¹,

McNamara

Çınkır

et al. 2020

European Educational Research Journal

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The purpose of this paper, which is part of a three-year EU Erasmus+-funded study titled ‘Distributed Evaluation and Planning in Schools’ (DEAPS), is to provide an analysis of policies, structures, processes, supports and barriers that exist to enable or inhibit the involvement of students and parents in school evaluation in four European countries (Belgium, Ireland, Portugal and Turkey). Document analysis was used for this study and some 348 peer-reviewed articles, and 28 national and transnational policy documents were included in the analysis. Based on this review it would be reasonable to suggest that the student/parent voice agenda around evaluation in schools remains, by and large, aspirational. It is extolled in policy but in practice is mainly tokenistic with very little evidence of impact on the work of schools. In light of this, it is argued that government and school-level policies and strategies need to be reconsidered to enhance students’ and parents’ engagement in school evaluation. As a first step, significant further empirical research on the limitations on and conditions necessary for stakeholder voice in education is required.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring parent and student engagement in school self-evaluation in four European countries

Brown¹,

McNamara

Çınkır

et al. 2020

European Educational Research Journal

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“…Teachers have traditionally been evaluated based on standardized achievement test scores; however, one major concern is the lack of external validation. Brown et al (2016), in their study on the Irish educational system, recommended that instead of focusing on test scores as a measure of quality, teacher evaluation systems should be “revised with more emphasis on the quality of school mechanisms and supports to facilitate and promote parental engagement in student learning” (p.823). More important than test scores is preparing students to cope with and perform in society successfully after graduation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the new teacher evaluation system in South Korea: Case studies of successful implementation, adaptation, and transformation of mandated policy

Yoo

2018

Policy Futures in Education

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Central to improving the quality of education is developing a teacher evaluation system that promotes teachers’ professional growth, the improvement of student learning, and educational equality for all students regardless of social factors such as socio-economic status, educational environment, race, and gender. To address these issues in South Korea and to respond to pressure from parents, educators, and policymakers, a new national teacher evaluation system was implemented in 2011. This paper briefly describes the evolution of the teacher evaluation system in South Korea and analyzes the newly developed mechanism by which teachers are evaluated. The new evaluation system resulted in a backlash from teachers and debate among educational stakeholders, including parents, educators, and policymakers. Both the support of and opposition to the new policy are discussed. Although the new evaluation system has not been viewed as effective in all schools, several cases of schools that have had success under the new system are examined to determine the factors that led to their success. This article argues that the teacher evaluation system consisting of fair and reliable components that measure teachers’ performance and support professional development can be an effective means of ensuring high-quality teaching, which, in turn, can positively impact student achievement. However, based on an examination of the case studies presented and grounded in the theoretical perspective on accountability proposed by Thorn and Harris, this study asserts that for the evaluation system to be successful in each school, accountability, necessary modification, and mutual adaptation are required. Implications for policymakers, researchers, and politicians are provided.

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“…It is interesting to note that as the school evaluation system has evolved and has become an excepted facet of school life, it has undoubtedly acquired elements which left-wing scholars might well perceive to be part of the neoliberal agenda. These include a much greater emphasis on evidence and data, including examination results and standardised test scores, both in setting targets for individual students and in the making of evaluative judgements about the performance of schools, and also in the increasing recognition of the rights of parents and students to have an input into school evaluation (Brown et al, 2013(Brown et al, , 2016a(Brown et al, , 2016b. The next section will chart, through a close analysis of policy documents, the gradual evolution of the school evaluation system since 2003.…”

Section: The History and Context Of School Evaluation Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality assurance in Irish schools: Inspection and school self-evaluation

et al. 2020

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In this paper, we provide an overview of the development of school inspection in Ireland over the past twenty years using the analytic and critical lens developed by Richard Boyle in partnership with the current authors. The paper is fundamentally a reflection on the nature, purpose and operation of evaluation in the Irish public sector through the lens of education. The paper provides a historical overview of developments in the linked areas of school evaluation and inspection, and goes on to explore how the implementation of this mode of quality assurance has influenced, and been influenced by, a wide range of policy actors. The argument made is that education has embedded a culture of evaluation in a unique yet systemically resonant manner and that a reflection on this reality will help illuminate our understanding of the role of evaluation across the public sector as a whole.

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Quality and the rise of value-added in education: The case of Ireland

Cited by 25 publications

References 42 publications

Exploring parent and student engagement in school self-evaluation in four European countries

Exploring parent and student engagement in school self-evaluation in four European countries

Evaluating the new teacher evaluation system in South Korea: Case studies of successful implementation, adaptation, and transformation of mandated policy

Quality assurance in Irish schools: Inspection and school self-evaluation

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