ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the use of pupil data for classroom management as an example of “seeing like a state” (Scott) in contrast to the self-knowledge described in Chapter 1, which supports the development of pupils’ enfranchised voices. Seeing like a state is conceptualised as approaching the classroom from the perspective offered by games such as Civilization, in contrast to the more involving perspectives of games like 1979 Revolution. The gathering and use of pupil data is a far broader category of pedagogical activities than simply applying standardised tests to determine the quality or inclusiveness of entire schools. Within the educational sphere, it is a varied activity used to adapt educational work to the pupils in hand as well as to describe and further hone planned interventions. Scott’s historical studies help us consider both the data gathered by political governors and the social phenomenon of the data gathering itself. This chapter describes the emergence of the classroom as a challenge for observation, an object for scientific description. It asks what is the organisational cost of rendering classrooms and pupils legible before data gathering.
