Trust In numbers: Danish Primary School Governance 1963–1972

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to contribute to the literature relating to the way in which numerical data in IT systems were and are used to govern the development of primary education as data provide the government with the opportunity to ‘see' the system of education in a new way. Economic growth in the Western world after World War II was linked to education. New IT-based forms of technology with numerical data could help planning as there was great confidence in numerical data as objective phenomena. The article shows how the Danish Ministry of Education established a number of IT systems during the 1960s and 1970s. Data within the systems provided the Ministry with an opportunity to ‘see’ the system of education in a new way and thereby change the system. On a wider scale, this article contributes to the present debate on how numerical data is used to govern citizens.

KEYWORDS:

• Planning
• standardization
• educational governance
• numerical data

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Unprinted sources

The Ministry of Education, the Economic-Statistical Consultant (ESC), in the Danish National Archives (DNA):

Case files 1964–1974 (Udtagne journalsager ØSK)

07-01-01

07-09-01

07-20-01

07-20-03

07-20-03-01

07-90-01

07-90-03

The Ministry of Education, the International Office (IO), in the Danish National Archives (DNA):

Case files regarding international organisations 1959–1970 (Sager vedr. Internationale Organisationer)

OE 4, 1963

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christian Larsen

Christian Larsen is Senior Researcher at the Danish National Archives and holds a PhD degree in Pedagogical History from the University of Aarhus. His research interest is the history of development of Danish primary and secondary schooling, with an emphasis on the persons in schools: teachers, pupils and parents.