In my research I am interested in the evaluation criteria used by school inspectorates with regard to inclusive education. In the United Kingdom and Germany, school inspectorates evaluate schools on a regular basis. The evaluation is intended to support school improvement. It also serves as a monitoring tool for the school administration. Therefore, school inspectorates have developed evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria represent normative concepts of what a “good” school is. There is almost no research about the content of the evaluation criteria and the understandings of ‘good' schools. Furthermore, there is almost no literature on the development of evaluation criteria.

In my research I am interested in whether school inspectorates take into consideration educational policies, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Both the United Kingdom and Germany have signed the UN convention. Therefore, they have to implement inclusive education. Nevertheless, the United Kingdom and Germany differ in regard to the implementation of inclusive education (almost no special schools vs. highly differentiated school system) and in regard to effects of school inspections (high stakes vs. low stakes).

My research seeks to answer the following questions: Are the characteristics of inclusive education part of the school inspectorates’ definition of a ‘good’ school?  What are the similarities and differences between the United Kingdom and Germany? Analyzing the evaluation criteria reveals how school inspectorates assess inclusive education and allows us to draw conclusion about the implementation of the UN convention.

As a theoretical framework I use the quality approach of Heid (2000). He uses a definition of the term quality as a characteristic which is not observable per se, but as a result of an evaluation process.There are many factors which have an impact on the evaluation process, such as normative premises. Furthermore, using the literature on inclusive education allows me to formulate characteristics of an inclusive school.

Ainscow, M., Booth, T., & Dyson, A. (2006). Improving Schools, Developing Inclusion. Abingdon: Routledge. [11.7.2013]. Heid, H. (2000). Qualität. Überlegungen zur Begründung einer pädagogischen Beurteilungskategorie. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik. (41), 41–51. [21.1.2014]. Prengel, A. (1993 (2006)). Pädagogik der Vielfalt: Verschiedenheit und Gleichberechtigung in interkultureller, feministischer und integrativer Pädagogik (3. Aufl.). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. Wrase, M. (2015). Die Implementation des Rechts auf inklusive Schulbildung nach der UN-Behindertenrechtskonvention und ihre Evaluation aus rechtlicher Perspektive. In P. Kuhl, P. Stanat, B. Lütje-Klose, C. Gresch, H. A. Pant & M. Prenzel (Hrsg.), Inklusion von Schülerinnen und Schülern mit sonderpädagogischem Förderbedarf in Schulleistungserhebungen. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. [19.11.2014].