TOWARDS STANDARDS FOR THE PUBLICATION OF PERFORMANCE INDICATORS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR: THE CASE OF SCHOOLS |
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| Authors: | SJOERD KARSTEN ADRIE J VISSCHER ANNE BERT DIJKSTRA RENÉ VEENSTRA |
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| Institution: | Sjoerd Karsten is in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam.;Adrie J. Visscher is in the Department of Educational Organization and Management, University of Twente;, Anne Bert Dijkstra is in The Netherlands' Education Inspectorate, Utrecht.;RenéVeenstra is in the Department of Sociology, University of Groningen. |
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| Abstract: | Since the 1990s, the media and public authorities in many developed countries have published data on the quality of public services such as schools, hospitals and police. In the education sector the publication of performance indicators and league tables generated considerable debate. In this article, the policy context of this development in the education sector is analysed in conjunction with the problems associated with the public reporting of school performance indicators. This is followed by a discussion of the need for an accepted set of publication standards. The aim of this article is to initiate a debate about whether international consensus can be reached on the content of such a set of standards, and whether a particular set of standards, developed in the Dutch context, is applicable in and relevant to other countries. These Dutch standards have been applied to a variety of English, American and Dutch publications. The results of the analysis suggest that if the Dutch standards were applied, school performance publications could be significantly improved. |
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