Data use in education: alluring attributes and productive processes

Abstract

In recent years, governing regimes in education that emphasize ‘data’ and ‘evidence’ as a basis for decision making, performance management and accountability have been introduced in several countries, including the Nordic countries. Data use has often been referred to as the centrepiece of so-called evidence-based governing regimes, where student performance data are considered to form an ideal basis for coordinating decisions and activities on different levels in the school system (Ozga, 2009 Ozga, J. (2009). Governing education through data in England: From regulation to self‐evaluation. Journal of Education Policy, 24(2), 149–162. doi:10.1080/02680930902733121[Taylor & Francis Online], [Google Scholar]). Various types of assessment tools that produce data on student performance provide a basis for generating the information used for policy making and initiating and legitimating change in education. [...]