Contributions on quality assurance in education often argue that a complementary and integrated relation between internal and external evaluation of schools would be advisable. This contribution sets out to investigate what role internal evaluation should - or could - fulfil in relation to external evaluation. It concludes that the arguments for an integration of both are overly positive. The question as to whether accountability and school improvement can be reconciled is indeed a complex one and requires a carefully qualified answer. We will propose a scenario meant to provoke discussion.
Abstract Ⅰ. Introduction Ⅱ. Quality Assurance: Different Responses to Differing Expectations Ⅲ. Perspectives on Quality Assurance Ⅳ. Self-evaluation: Accountability and/or School Improvement? Ⅴ. Conditions for a Successful Combination of Self-evaluations and School Audits Ⅵ. Implications for Possible Scenarios for a Successful Combination of External and Internal Evaluation Ⅶ. Conclusions References
