About

The research engages with different levels and stakeholders in education systems, from national to provincial levels and from districts and schools to parents and communities. This site includes sections on our publications, media interviews, conferences and seminars and blog. We welcome guest bloggers on our site, provided they align their contributions with our topic areas.

This project brings a new perspective to the field of comparative education by presenting ‘trust’, ‘capacity’, and ‘accountability’ as building blocks of education systems and education system reform.

VU and Learn logoIt offers a collection of work which explores the intricate relations between the three variables, particularly in explaining the success but also failure of education reform.

Trust, capacity and accountability are frequently studied and discussed separately in both organisation studies literature, as well as education research on school (social) networks and improvement. There is however little discussion on how these are related, both on the school and system/policy/governance level.

Accountability and trust are considered beneficial for schools and systems to have or build the capacity for change, but both are at odds with one another where the direction of the relationship between trust and accountability is complex and bi-directional: high stakes accountability often destroys trust our would be implemented when there is a lack of trust in schools and teachers, but accountability may also improve trust when locking partners into a sustainable collaboration; capacity may serve as an outcome of both trust and accountability, but is often also a precursor to both trust and accountability when you for example only trust someone who is capable of performing a task.

About Us

Image of Professor Melanie Ehren

Professor Melanie Ehren

Principal Investigator.

Melanie Ehren is a Professor in the Governance of Schools and Education systems, Director of Research institute LEARN! and honorary Professor at University College, Institute of Education. Her academic work focuses on the effectiveness of accountability and evaluation systems and aims to contribute to a greater understanding of the interplay between accountability and the broader education system in tackling inequality and improving student outcomes.

Image of Dr Jacqueline Baxter

Dr Jacqueline Baxter

Co-Investigator. 

Dr Jacqueline Baxter is Associate Professor of Public Policy and Management in The Department of Public Leadership at The Open University Business School. Her research interests lie in the area of public sector governance and management and the use of online learning in secondary schools. She tweets at @drjacquebaxter and blogs at jacquelinebaxter.net.