chapter 1 Comparing politics of quality in education / Jaakko Kauko Tuomas Takala Risto Rinne -- chapter 2 Layers of reflectivity in comparative research / Jaakko Kauko Vera Gorodski Centeno Nelli Piattoeva Helena Candido Galina Gurova Anna Medvedeva Íris Santos Olli Suominen Xingguo Zhou -- chapter 3 Historical paths to shared interest in quality assurance and evaluation / Olli Suominen Vera Gorodski Centeno Galina Gurova Johanna Kallo Xingguo Zhou -- chapter 4 Established and emerging actors in the national political arenas / Jaakko Kauko Olli Suominen Vera Gorodski Centeno Nelli Piattoeva Tuomas Takala -- chapter 5 Changing expertise and the state / Risto Rinne Xingguo Zhou Jaakko Kauko Romuald Normand Anna Medvedeva Íris Santos -- chapter 6 Governance by data circulation? The production, availability, and use of national large-scale assessment dataNelli Piattoeva and others / Nelli Piattoeva Vera Gorodski Centeno Olli Suominen Risto Rinne -- chapter 7 Effects of quality assurance and evaluation on schools' room for action / Galina Gurova Helena Candido Xingguo Zhou -- chapter 8 Alternative views of the future of quality assurance and evaluation / Johanna Kallo Tuomas Takala Vera Gorodski Centeno Olli Suominen -- chapter 9 Conclusion / Jaakko Kauko Risto Rinne Tuomas Takala.

"The question of quality has become one of the most important framing factors in education and has been of growing interest to international organisations and national policymakers for decades. Politics of Quality in Education focuses on Brazil, China, and Russia, part of the so-called emerging nations BRICS block, and draws on a four-year project to develop a new theoretical and methodological approach.The book builds a comparative, sociohistorical, and transnational understanding of political relations in education, with a particular focus on the policies and practices of Quality Assurance and Evaluation (QAE). Tracking QAE processes from international organisations to individual schools, contributors analyse how QAE changes the dynamics in the roles of state, expertise, and governance. The book demonstrates how national and sub-national actors play a central role in the adaptation, modification or rejection of transnational policies.Politics of Quality in Education will be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students engaged in the study of comparative and international education, as well as educational policy and politics. It should also be essential reading for practitioners and policymakers."--Provided by publisher.