Schools in the making: mapping digital spaces of evidence

Abstract

In this article, the focus is on educational governing in the making. Drawing on conceptual underpinnings of socio-technical approaches, this implies an interest both on the way in which a sound knowledge base for policy measures is created, as on the distribution of that knowledge through publically available instruments. Governing by evidence only is possible when it relies on concrete instruments, such as feedback reports, publically consultable audits and examples of good practice. Since knowledge-related practices increasingly make use of online tools where knowledge is accessible for each and all, three websites are analysed in a particular way to describe the making of evidence. First, considered as active devices, the websites are analysed as essential components of the governing by evidence: by publishing specific data and information in a particular way, they come to constitute what comes to count as evidence and the way in which it comes to count. By addressing their visitors in a particular way, moreover, they constitute for whom it comes to count as evidence. As such, we argue, it becomes visible that digital spaces of evidence actually make schools real, and, at once, that there are different modes for schools to exist.

Keywords:

• educational governing
• examples of good practice
• inspectorate
• school feedback
• socio-technical approaches
• websites

Notes

1. All figures are screenshots retreived from the three different websites in the period of October–November 2012.

Figures of the testing grounds section were retrieved from: ond.vlaanderen.be/proeftuinen, ond.vlaanderen.be/proeftuinen/algemeen/default.htm, ond.vlaanderen.be/proeftuinen/projecten/proeftuinthemas.htm and ond.vlaanderen.be/proeftuinen/netwerking%20en%20vorming/infobrochure.pdf

Figures of the inspectorate section were retrieved from: ond.vlaanderen.be/doorlichtingsverslagen, ond.vlaanderen.be/doorlichtingsverslagen/vragen/default.htm and ond.vlaanderen.be/doorlichtingsverslagen/lijst.asp?niveau=BaO&p=V

Figures of the school feedback section were retrieved from: schoolfeedback.be, schoolfeedback.be/inhoud/toetsenBasisonderwijsInhoud.html and schoolfeedback.be/inhoud/bestanden/Verhaeghe_Politeia.pdf