The Seduction of the Evaluative State in Education: A Historical Analysis of the Chilean Case

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Perspectives on Accountability and Data-Driven Education

Abstract

The idea of an evaluative state that devolves school management to the private sector and local governments, but at the same time evaluates, inspects and sanctions them, in the name of ‘assuring educational quality’ has captivated sectors of both the right and center-left Chilean coalitions. It is a seductive policy. This paper examines the genesis and development of this model in the Chilean case (1979-2011). The analyses not only looks to understand the policies that built the evaluative state in education, but also, seeks to comprehend more broadly the political rationale and discursive narratives that made the policy transformations desirable.

Authors

• Alejandra Falabella, Universidad Alberto Hurtado

• Claudio Ramos Zincke, Universidad Alberto Hurtado