Governing by numbers: the PISA ‘effect’ in Europe

Abstract

This paper examines the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which has become a major and influential component of the OECD's educational work. This measure of comparative performance of educational systems of member and other nations is based on tests commissioned by the OECD. The paper discusses the role of the OECD in establishing the 'comparative' turn and also describes PISA, its management and effects. It provides three examples of the impact of PISA in Finland, Germany and the United Kingdom before moving the focus to its impacts at the transnational level, through an examination of how key European policy actors see PISA and its effects. The paper concludes that PISA, through its direct impact on national education systems in Europe and beyond, has become an indirect, but nonetheless influential tool of the new political technology of governing the European education space by numbers.

Non-affirmative Theory of Education as a Foundation for Curriculum Studies, Didaktik and Educational Leadership

“…Transnational institutions of different kinds have definitely challenged the nation-state perspective that has dominated curriculum research (Robertson 2006). The emergence of a 'European policy space' or the European Union as new 'transnational state' (Grek 2009;Lawn and Grek 2012) has naturally challenged the idea of the nation-state as the ultimate location for curriculum work or for any public policy making. Still, especially school leadership is mainly perceived as a 'within-state' dilemma (Clarke and Wildy 2009).…”

Governando a educação pelo espelho do perito: uma análise do pisa como instrumento de regulação

“…Sem esquecer a variabilidade de formas, conteúdos, amplitude e intensidade da recepção e uso do PISA, em função das especificidades nacionais (ver, e.g., Steiner-Khamsi, 2003van Zanten, 2004;Rautalin & Alasuutari, 2007;Grek, 2009;Carvalho, Afonso & Costa, 2009), o presente artigo observa e analisa o Programa nessa sua qualidade de instrumento portador de modos específicos de pensar a "realidade educativa" e de regras que introduzem orientação, coordenação e controlo nas acções e nos actores do sector educativo. Portanto, o PISA é aqui analisado enquanto uma "tecnologia política" (Ozga & Grek, 2007;Grek, 2009) que toma parte na fabricação das pessoas para uma sociedade (global) imaginada, bem como na geração de formas particulares para o seu governo, assentes em dispositivos "baseados no conhecimento".…”

“…Portanto, o PISA é aqui analisado enquanto uma "tecnologia política" (Ozga & Grek, 2007;Grek, 2009) que toma parte na fabricação das pessoas para uma sociedade (global) imaginada, bem como na geração de formas particulares para o seu governo, assentes em dispositivos "baseados no conhecimento".…”

Researching the Powerful: Seeking Knowledge about Policy

“…Others are preoccupied with the issue of governance of education/learning, and, indeed, with that of governing through education/learning (Lingard & Ozga, 2007;Grek et al, 2009) and with their manifestations in Europe through systems of evaluation and of comparison itself (Nóvoa & Yariv-Mashal, 2003;Grek, 2009). These approaches challenge the limited perspective on Europe that focuses on the formal restrictions on European education policy, and its apparently supporting and supplementing role in relation to national systems of education.…”