Building Evaluation Expertise in a Government Agency Context in Aotearoa New Zealand

The Education Review Office is the external education evaluation agency for schools and early childhood education services in Aotearoa New Zealand. Shifts from an accountability to an improvement-oriented evaluation approach have increased the professional expectations of, and knowledge and expertise required by, external evaluators. This article describes the design and development of two frameworks, Capabilities for High Quality Education Evaluation in Aotearoa New Zealand and External Education Evaluation in Aotearoa New Zealand: Principles of Practice for review officers working in a public sector context. The article also explores the early implementation of the frameworks and concludes that an ongoing focus on the professionalisation and primacy of evaluation practice that focuses on what makes the most difference for learners is critical in addressing educational challenges.