School Self-Evaluation: Entering the Arena of SSE Materialisation and Development

About this Research Topic

Background

Studies on school evaluation (SE) have shown that SE provides a means to verify and assess the quality of the work developed in schools, offering information regarding the results achieved, teaching and learning practices, leadership performance, and management choices. It renders schools accountable for their work and outcomes, informing stakeholders such as policy-makers, government representatives, parents, and the broader community about school performance and progress.

Research also demonstrates that SE can serve as a valuable tool for quality improvement and school emancipation, given the rich information it generates. School evaluation processes are fundamental for identifying issues and problems that affect the quality and success of educational activities. They help to diagnose their causes and offer schools critical insights to guide interventions that address difficulties and foster ongoing improvement in school quality.

From the perspective of emancipation, school self-evaluation (SSE) processes assume particular importance. Given their potential to function as tools for management and self-regulation, SSE empowers school leaders and professionals with context-specific information, promoting greater awareness and creating the conditions necessary for informed and sustainable improvement actions. SSE is acknowledged as being not only more comprehensive, but also more context-appropriate, context-led, and meaningful for those actively involved in the processes within schools.

However, despite the significant potential attributed to SSE, research on this topic also reveals various challenges encountered by both schools and school professionals responsible for its implementation. Such difficulties include constrained resources, limited familiarity with appropriate methodologies, and inconsistent engagement among different stakeholders. Even with the recognized importance of SSE, relatively little is known about the development of school self-evaluation processes, the ways in which such processes are shaped in practice, and the specific effects that SSE generates in the everyday routines and practices within schools.

This ongoing gap in understanding points to the need for further research in the area of SE and SSE. Broadening knowledge and sharing empirical evidence from diverse educational contexts will contribute to the refinement of evaluation practices and may help schools more effectively translate SSE insights into improvement strategies.

This Research Topic invites submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Theoretical studies, including literature reviews (systematic or other), mapping studies, and related work;
- School self-evaluation procedures and methodological designs;
- The actors involved in school self-evaluation, including SSE teams, school staff, and professional support for SSE.

Submissions are encouraged that enhance the understanding of both challenges and best practices associated with school self-evaluation, explore methodological innovations, and examine the impact of SSE on school functioning and culture. Expanding the research and practical dialogue in this area will support the development of more effective, context-relevant, and meaningful school evaluation processes.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: School Self-Evaluation (SSE), Evaluation Methodologies, School Governance, Effects of school self-evaluation, Conceptions of school self-evaluation

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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