2025/10/21 by Lulu P. Shi · 1 voice
Decision Sciences · Social Sciences · #Educational Assessment and Improvement #Global Educational Policies and Reforms #Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/17439884.2025.2565244
openalex publication_date 2025/10/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/22 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/14
This study investigates the growing influence of school management systems in U.K. schools, focusing on how these tools discursively conceptualise core aspects of classroom education. Through a discourse analysis of school management product descriptions, this study provides insights into how management tool providers configure roles and practices in the classroom, knowledge, and social relationships. The analysis shows that, through datafication, school management systems reinforce a management-centric perspective on all aspects of education, going beyond purely administrative work. While tool providers often use language familiar to schools such as ‘community’, these terms reflect marketing strategies more than genuine efforts to foster social relations. This study provides a critical perspective on the role of school management systems in reconfiguring the classroom as a site of management.