Improving quality is often mentioned as an important aim of educational reform and change. But what quality exactly entails often remains vague and unarticulated. Assessment of quality often refers to quantitative output measures like examination scores, survival and succession rates, and enrolment or dropout rates. But what do these indicators really tell us about the quality of education and, more specifically, the curriculum? The question is what measures would really be informative for improved curricular quality? And are these demands universal, or is the local context of influence? On the one hand, comparative studies show quite similar curricular frameworks around the globe, but on the other, local demands for curriculum can differ tremendously. Aside from local curricular demands, educational circumstances also differ. These local circumstances should also inform curricular choices, but evidence shows that this is not always the case. How effective could a curriculum then be?

Thijs, A., & Van den Akker, J. (2009). Curriculum in development. Enschede: Netherlands Institute for Curriculum Development.