ABSTRACT

The chapter discusses inspection as a project; an assemblage that does governing work. The inspection assemblage in Scotland is apparently more collegial and close in its relationship with schools than those in place in England and Sweden. Governing produces and needs different kinds of knowledge for the administrative ordering of society. Such knowledge may serve to develop and maintain democratic welfare or a functioning market. It may take the form of statistical data or versions of qualitative judgments packaged as information, press releases and reports. On an aggregated level such knowledge makes up claims in terms of best practice that govern schools. School self-evaluation and the usage of local knowledge about goal attainment in relation to predefined problems and goals are sometimes spurred by an atmosphere of ownership. Thus, informal, voluntary or soft rule-following, that is, regulative activities, may serve to make those inspected use particular forms of knowledge. In other words, governing governs local uses of knowledge.