In search of the treasure within, towards schools as learning organisations

Schollaert R. (ed) In search of the treasure within, towards schools as learning organisations. (Syllabus serie nr. 8)
Leuven, Garant, 2002, 258 p.

Naar aanleiding van het Europees nascholingsproject "The Treasure Within" verscheen de gelijknamige publicatie. Dit boek, onder redactie van Rudi Schollaert, beschrijft de scholen in onze huidige samenleving als lerende organisaties.

The sociological turmoil of post-modern society has led the mission of schools to be questioned in an unprecedented way. Schools are expected to meet a host of often contradictory demands, while at the same time having to compete for public funding with many other deserving causes: health care, social security, public works, an ageing population…

All this has resulted in increased accountability, a call for school effectiveness and a public demand for quality education. The problem with quality, however, is that it is all in the eye of the beholder. National and international quality indicators tend to focus on what is readily measurable, and therefore represent a reductionist view of education.

This books makes a plea for a richer interpretation of quality in education, a plea for tapping into the 'treasure within', the commitment and competence of the whole community that constitutes a school. It is the result of an intensive brainstorming effort among educationalists and practitioners all over Europe, working together within the context of the Comenius network "The Treasure Within".