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In this paper, the author describes how the current widespread interest in indicators of education quality is the result of three converging strands: school effectiveness research, school improvement research, and information technology. From the beginning there has been a tension between the use of indicators for accountability and improvement purposes; where the balance is struck significantly influences the indicators themselves, how they are organised in domains, and how they are used in practice.

In her introduction, Berryman offers a brief critique of the current set of evaluation indicators and their framing. While broadly approving, she expresses concern that the relational and dynamic nature of the Dimension 6 indicators is not made explicit. Even more fundamental, although the document references the Treaty of Waitangi in the Introduction, the wording casts Māori in a recipient role rather than as one of two equals in a partnership.

This report represents the final phase in the external evaluation of the initial implementation of the approach with the initial group of 75 schools. The intended audience for this report is ERO senior leadership team. It is intended that this report will be used formatively to consider opportunities for refinement and improvement of the approach.

In this paper, Timperley begins by discussing the very limited nature of the research literature relating to the impacts of external reviews, adding that this has done nothing to dampen enthusiasm for them or to slow their spread. Nearly every educational jurisdiction that has an external review system mixes both accountability and improvement purposes, setting up an inherent tension.