The instrumentation of global education reforms: an analysis of school autonomy with accountability policies in Spanish education

Abstract

This paper analyses, from the perspective of the political sociology of policy instruments, the adoption and re-contextualisation of School Autonomy with Accountability (SAWA) reforms in Spain, with a particular focus on the region of Madrid. Over the last few decades, Madrid has adopted a wide range of education policies that have contributed to consolidate a market-oriented approach in the governance of the educational system. This paper analyses the instrumentation and complex interaction between standardised tests, test-based accountability, school choice and school autonomy in advancing this governance shift. The main objective of the paper is twofold: first, to trace the policy trajectory of SAWA reforms in Spain and Madrid, and second, to identify the rationale of the reform and its related policy ontology in relation to the selection and articulation of different policy instruments as well as the governance implications of these choices. Methodologically, we have conducted a policy analysis case study, analysing data from a set of 35 original interviews with education policymakers and key policy actors, combined with document analysis. The results of our research show how the policy preferences of domestic political actors and the legacies of the politico-administrative regimes mediate the final form and uses of the SAWA policy instruments. These policy instruments can be conceptualised as 'life objects' whose development and uses are attached to context specific-and sometimes contradictory-political objectives and rationales.

Teachers’ perspectives on the implementation of the “No child left behind policy”: Basis for framework enhancement

“…Accountability systems strive to prioritize this objective for all stakeholders in the public school system. To that end, the systems are designed to drive behavioral changes such as teachers being held accountable (Pagès & Prieto, 2020) for delivering grade-level content to all of their students, administrators assigning the best teachers to students who need them the most, and district and state officials allocating revenue and making programming decisions to support all children (Sutherland, 2022). Schools are held accountable for ensuring that all children, regardless of their origin or identity, receive a decent education since parents entrust their children to public schools and people pay taxes to fund those schools (Shuffelton, 2020;Spurrier et al, 2021).…”

Enacting performance-based accountability in a Southern European school system: between administrative and market logics

“…Very briefly, it is important to highlight that the adoption of a high-stakes accountability policy model in Madrid was the result of a very particular policy leadership dynamics within the regional government. Once this leadership declined, a shift towards a more pragmatic policy approach was adopted by educational authorities in 2015, assuming that a lower-stakes accountability model would allow at the same time to reach higher levels of political consensus and a better alignment with the national policy framework (Pagès & Prieto, 2020). In this context, the same administration that established the standardized test ended the policy of transparency without major political noise.…”

“…Despite divergences, accountability reforms have been increasingly disseminated around the world, and the use of national standardized tests to assess student performance is being generalized, even in countries without managerial-oriented administrative traditions (Verger et al, 2019a). This is the case in Spain, where accountability policies have been adopted and implemented unevenly across regions, Madrid being one of the most active in deploying and using external and standardized tests to reform the governance of education (Verger et al, 2020a;Pagès & Prieto, 2020). In Madrid, schools are subject to an accountability regulatory framework that combines (i) bureaucratic control through inspection services; (ii) external and standardized evaluation of school performance, and (iii) parental school choice.…”

School and teacher level predictors of organizational loyalty in an era of school reform

“…Education reforms that aim to build the capacity to support the development of students (Gross et al, 2009 ) have gained momentum in many western and non-western countries over the last two decades (Gunter, 2008 ; Pagès & Prieto, 2020 ; Yin et al, 2014 ). In this context, the effective administration of schools is vital for the success of educational reforms.…”