The same procedure as every time? School inspections and school development in Germany

Abstract

The article focuses on school inspections as an instrument for school development and aims to clarify how schools cope with the results which are generated by it. It is based on the assumption that the specific situation of a school has an impact on how and in what way the results are received and dealt with in schools. In order to support this argument, this article contains the findings of case studies (based on interviews and surveys) carried out in mainstream schools in Germany. The article provides empirical insight about different ways schools cope with the inspection results, revealing that the extent to which an established organisational structure of development work exists within the schools is particularly important for effectively using the inspection results. This article draws attention to the necessity to adapt the kind of support to the individual schools.

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

“…however, more longitudinal studies, such as those carried out by Dedering (2015), reveal that there are indications that this may occur to some extent.…”

“…In the German-speaking countries, many studies have viewed inspection from the perspectives of school effectiveness, evaluation, and performance traditions of research (Dedering, 2015;Dedering & Müller, 2011;Gärtner, Wurster & Pant, 2014;Husfeldt, 2011). Dedering (2015) views SI as a tool for developing and supporting schools individually.…”

“…Four studies on the German inspection systems 11 in this review see inspection through the conceptual lenses of school improvement, development, and evaluation (Dedering, 2015;Dedering & Müller, 2011;Gärtner, 2013;Husfeldt, 2011). In the study by Dedering and Müller (2011), the impact of the inspectoral system in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia was investigated using survey data from the responses of 468 school principals.…”

“…Finally, Dedering (2015) investigates how schools manage with the results they receive following intervention. Based on a larger study and the theoretical framework outlined by Ehren and Visscher (2006), Dedering's quasi-longitudinal study draws on interview data as well as a survey conducted in one primary and three secondary case schools.…”

Editorial

“…Qualitätsdimensionen und -indikatoren werden aus sogenannten Qualitätsrahmen abgeleitet. Die Qualitätsrahmen der Bundesländer unterscheiden sich ebenso wie die Verfahren der Evaluation oder die Auswahl und Qualifizierung der Inspektorenteams teilweise deutlich voneinander (Dedering 2015). Auch hinsichtlich der Rückmeldeformate, der einzuleitenden Maßnahmen nach Feststellung von Qualitätsmängeln, der Zugänglichkeit der Befunde für unterschiedliche Akteursgruppen sowie der vorgehaltenen Unterstützungsangebote sind große Unterschiede zwischen den Bundesländern festzustellen (Dedering 2015).…”