ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the case of a school that has a leading position in a particular Spanish region because of its work in institutional self-evaluation. This school, which has had public recognition for its good practice, has been actively and steadily involved in self-evaluation for a long time, and, as a result of this, it has been learning and gaining experience as a self-evaluating organisation, although changing trends in its context and environment have meant that it is a work in progress. The relevance of education quality and its improvement have been increasingly emphasised in education policy in Spain. In addition, evaluation has been conferred the status of a major factor leading to education quality in Spain and, moreover, is a principle informing the education system. More recently, a range of initiatives informed by quality management and the New Public Management (NPM) ideology have been launched to improve the quality of education in schools (OECD, 2010). What this particular school has achieved and learned regarding self-evaluation and educational improvement reflects these new initiatives, which have had a significant impact on the school. However it has had a proactive response and has played an agentic role in its own development rather than being constrained by these outside influences.
