Effecten van toezicht op het basisonderwijs

The goal of this study is to expand the available knowledge concerning whether Dutch school inspections lead to school improvement. Using interviews, surveys and case studies, the following research question was answered: is there evidence that school inspections have any effects and, if so, how do features of schools (such as innovation capacity and support and pressure from the environment) and school inspections contribute to these effects? The results of the case studies showed that all schools started to improve after a school visit. The innovation capacity of the school and the school environment do not seem to contribute to school improvement. The provision of feedback about weaknesses, the assessment of these weak points as unsatisfactory, and agreements between an inspector and the school regarding improvement on these points are three factors that do appear to make a difference in promoting school improvement.