2 – Work file 18: How to analyse and interpret EDC/HRE evaluation results

There are many ways to analyse, categorise and interpret evaluation results. When using the set of quality indicators for EDC/HRE suggested in Work file 12, one of the most effective and easiest ways is to start identifying strengths and weaknesses in EDC/HRE. The Council of Europe suggests using a four-level scale for this purpose and thus basing each indicator according to this scale (Council of Europe, Democratic Governance of Schools, 2005, p. 88):

• Level 1 – significant weakness in most or all areas;
• Level 2 – more weaknesses than strengths;
• Level 3 – more strengths than weaknesses;
• Level 4 – strengths in most or all areas and no significant weaknesses.

One possible way to present the results out of such an analysis is using diagrams which show the overall performance in EDC/HRE but also list the different indicators. The example below of a fictional school illustrates this:

When trying to come to a conclusion, this should cover four basic areas (ibid., p. 91):

• the school’s achievement in EDC/HRE in general;
• the school’s position on each quality indicator;
• the most successful and the weakest aspects of EDC/HRE in the school;
• the most critical points that may threaten further development of EDC/HRE in a school.