New Practices of Comparison, Quantification and Expertise in Education

"Comparison and quantification have become the new lingua franca in education policy. They created the illusion that we speak the same language and share the same values all over the globe. How hasthis new mode of governance shaped, and narrowed, our options of acting educationally? This book makes us dig deeper and think about the rationales and consequences of today’s "expertise by numbers." Thought provoking, inspiring, and highly recommended."

Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York.

"The practices of comparison and quantification are no longer a specialist and minor element in education, they have become the foremost and dominant way of governing the system, and yet their speed, scope and scale seem to escape analysis and critique.

As a consequence, older educational categories are used as if they remain unchanged yet quantification has subverted, hollowed out, reworked and overthrown familiar landscapes and subjects and produced a shadow non-place. This excellent and thoughtful set of essays will be essential to illuminate the ground we should stand on in our research."

Professor Martin Lawn, University of Edinburgh.

"The importance of numbers has been a preoccupation for educational researchers for decades. Yet, too little research has focused on the level of policy and the results that international, regional and national level comparisons and quantifications can have on our education systems globally. This publication fills this gap by focusing on contemporary trends and activities related to quantification in educational research. The overall argument is both provocative and important specifically as it relates to the context of a ‘chimera’ of quantifications and comparisons, ‘number-intelligent’ activities and a ‘fear of being left behind’ or of not being ‘included’ in numbers game in education. Theoretically profound and politically compelling and especially relevant in the present critical period of educational research."

Halla B. Holmarsdottir, Professor Faculty of Education and International Studies, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway.