Semantic shifts only? The ascension of the manager in the German education system

Abstract

Assessments are a technical key element of new governance strategies. The implementation of output steering methods into the German education system is accompanied by an attempt to substitute approved semantics by implementing an external re-description of educational processes. As education cannot rely on causal technology, terms such as market, competition, entrepreneurship, and commodification render the organizations of the education system into a paradoxical situation. Their typical practice of loose coupling is frustrated by accountability and responsibility claims. The new order to “tightly couple” is accompanied by the call for technical solutions and management competencies of the staff. What happens when organizations have to cope with expectations they cannot meet? This chapter discusses the question of how the semantic shift from the term professional to classroom manager profoundly affects the essence of established pedagogical thinking and acting.

Citation

Radtke, F.-O. (2010), "Semantic shifts only? The ascension of the manager in the German education system", Karin Amos, S. (Ed.) International Educational Governance (International Perspectives on Education and Society, Vol. 12), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 135-153. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3679(2010)0000012010