School Inspectors’ Decision-making: Evidence from a Comparative Perspective

Pablo Bezem, Anne Piezunka and Rebecca Jacobsen

EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, 2024, vol. 23, issue 2, 253-274

Abstract: In an era of test-based accountability, school inspections can offer a more nuanced understanding of why schools fail. Yet, we have limited knowledge of how inspectors arrive at their decisions on school quality. Analyzing inspectors’ decision-making can reveal the underlying views regarding school accountability and open opportunities for school improvement. We use a comparative case study of contrasting inspection systems in the United States, the Netherlands, and Argentina. Based on in-depth interviews with inspectors, our findings reveal that inspectors’ sensemaking and decisions are strongly influenced by local culture, professional traditions, and views on school accountability. These contrasting processes illustrate trade-offs between rigid and flexible approaches to school inspection that have consequences for school improvement.

Keywords: accountability; school quality; school improvement; school inspection; sensemaking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:espost:319279

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