Primary and lower secondary education

Our tasks

In the area of primary and lower secondary education, we typically work within two main arenas.

We conduct evaluations commissioned by the presidency of the Council for Primary and Lower Secondary Education (Skolerådet). Often these evaluations are large-scale and centre on current themes or subjects in primary and lower secondary schools.

Also, we convey our extensive knowledge about evaluation methods to schools, municipalities and more to build local competencies within evaluation and to foster a local evaluation culture. We do this through presentations, seminars, project days, conferences, and our specially designed ’EVA days’ about evaluation and quality issues, where municipalities and others spar with EVA.

Through these activities, we also bring results from our projects into play in a local and situated context, e.g. knowledge about special needs education and school management.

Methods

Our choice of methodology depends on the focus and aim of the individual project. We employ both quantitative and qualitative methods; questionnaire surveys, statistical surveys, observations and interviews. The latter are used in a case context where e.g. head masters, teachers, pupils and local education authorities are interviewed.

Also, we employ self-evaluation in projects where one of the goals is to facilitate an ongoing evaluation and development of e.g. the use of IT in instructions.

Context

In recent years, the government and other parties have focused on quality assurance, and the creation of evaluation cultures in primary and lower secondary education. As an example, the municipalities are required to work out quality reports on the schools efforts within a range of central themes. This affects the nature of our work.

We carry out both evaluations and e.g. processes where we act as sparring partner on request from ministries, local authorities, organisations and educational institutions.

The area of primary and lower secondary education includes the most educational institutions in Denmark; that is approximately 2100 institutions, most of which are public schools while 490 institutions are free schools and private schools. Only public schools and institutions, and municipal councils are obliged to participate in EVA’s evaluations.

Read more

At the Ministry of Education's webwsite, you will find more information on  Danish primary and lower sendary education - the Folkeskole