Polycentric perspective to inspection of network of schools

Education systems are moving from monocentric to polycentric (localized) governance and school to school improvement networks This requires a new ‘polycentric’ type of school inspections as centralized inspections promote a ‘one size fits all’ approach to improvement, and are less well able to adapt to localized school improvement. ‘Polycentric, networked school inspections’ Polycentric school inspections evaluate and assess the quality and functioning of chains of schools and/or schools and their stakeholders, with the purpose of validating and supporting improvement at the local level.

As part of an Erasmus+/KA2 proposal we study the effectiveness of polycentric school inspections on localized school improvement, and potential changes in roles of school inspectors. Our study follows a 4 step R&D iterative approach:

  1. Mapping 4 existing examples of polycentric/monocentric school inspections (Netherlands (Dutch case study), Northern Ireland, England, Bulgaria)
  2. Literature review and ex ante evaluation
  3. Scoping good examples across Europe (survey and document analysis of SICI profiles)
  4. Studying impact of examples of polycentric inspections Each step includes dissemination and evaluation activities.

We look at notions of governance which highlight the structures of interaction in an education system and at the relation between inspection and regulation from the perspective of multiple actors and multilevel networked interactions in steering and monitoring education. Such approaches fit a polycentric perspective of regulating and evaluating education, where governance systems and networks of institutions are initiated from bottom-up to facilitate problem-solving processes for any group facing any particular problem. In polycentric forms of steering, central government (and the Inspectorate of Education) is only one of the actors in governing schools. Steering takes place in a context of interdependent networks of different actors who use knowledge, information and other resources to influence schools. A polycentric perspective to regulation and inspection is considered to be successful when these institutions (such as schools) are able to organize themselves and are capable and motivated to solve problems.

Working definition

School inspections from a polycentric perspective are external evaluations of schools and of interdependent networks of different actors who use knowledge, information and other resources to influence schools, undertaken by officials outside the school with a mandate from a national/local authority, by taking into account:

  1. the perspective on school quality from the schools and the various stakeholders in the network with the purpose of: 1) providing feedback to schools and stakeholders; 2) the dissemination of good practices and 3) a shared agenda for change;
  2. the quality of the collaboration between schools and stakeholders in the network;
  3.  the coordination of visits to all schools and stakeholders in the network.

Review on Network of schools

Toward a model of school inspections in a polycentric system

Many education systems are developing towards more lateral structures where schools collaborate in networks to improve and provide (inclusive) education. These structures call for bottom-up models of network evaluation and accountability instead of the current hierarchical arrangements where single schools are evaluated by a central agency. This paper builds on available research about network effectiveness to present evolving models of network evaluation. Network effectiveness can be defined as the achievement of positive network level outcomes that cannot be attained by individual organizational participants acting alone. Models of network evaluation need to take into account the relations between network members, the structure of the network, its processes and its internal mechanism to enforce norms in order to understand the achievement and outcomes of the network and how these may evolve over time. A range of suitable evaluation models are presented in this paper, as well as a tentative school inspection framework which is inspired by these models. The final section will present examples from Inspectorates of Education in Northern Ireland and Scotland who have developed newer inspection models to evaluate the effectiveness of a range of different networks.

See: Article in Evaluation and Program Planning

2 gedachten over “Polycentric perspective to inspection of network of schools”

  1. Dear Mr,
    I write you on behalf of The Turkish Ministry of National Education the Board of Inspection. My name is Bülent ARIK. I work at the project department. We are planning to develop a KA2 project under Eramsu+ programme on school inspection and development. The polycentric inspection approach has taken our attention. While searching on the web, we have seen your webpage. We have already some contacts from our previous EU projects in different countries. We would also like to offer you a project proposal on polycentric inspection under KA of Erasmus+. Actually we would like to transfer the good practices about inspection. I’ll be very glad if you could cooperate with us, or at least assisst with the issue.
    Thank you very much in advance
    Kind regards,
    Bülent ARIK
    On behalf of the inspectorate

    1. Dear Bulent Arik,

      Thank you for mail and friendly request. Unfortunatly I am not in the position to cooperate whith you and the Turkish inspectorate, because I am a Retired professor and no longer an employee of the University or the Dutch Inspectorate. However you can try to contact the programm Director of the KA2 project you read about on my website. Prof Melanie Ehren, who is this Director, is employed by the UCL Institute of Education, University College London. Use this url to find her mail address: https://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/profile?upi=MEHRE33
      I hope she van help you out.
      Kind regards
      Frans Janssens

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