| Quality schooling has often been a subject of international concern. In all nation-states, government bodies and concerned communities are pressuring educational institutions to be more efficient as they prepare students for life and the labor market. In an effort to meet new government standards for federal funding, improve their performance, and obtain public trust, schools of all levels and in many countries are implementing the market-based ISO 9000 quality management system. ISO 9000 is an international quality management system created by the non-governmental organization International Organization for Standardization (ISO).; The current literature surrounding ISO 9000 implementation in education indicates that the application of this quality management system to education is debatable, the implementation process is time consuming and difficult, and that the subject is understudied. This study did not attempt to end the debate over ISO 9000 in education, but looked at the problem with a new perspective. Instead of debating if ISO 9000 is appropriate for schools, this study identified which type of schools are appropriate for ISO 9000. Building on previous qualitative research, this study used quantitative survey research methods to identify factors that lead to a successful ISO 9000 implementation in educational institutions. Arguing from the perspective of world-polity theory and institutional isomorphism, since ISO 9000 is an international issue, the research was conducted as a comparative education study in two different countries, the US and England. The findings indicated that US and English institutions are very much the same with regard to ISO 9000, for example, they have a similar time to ISO 9000 registration, and are implementing ISO 9000 for similar reasons. In addition, several factors were identified that are related to a successful ISO 9000 registration, such as, the previous existence of an unwritten/unspoken quality management practice, and a highly regarded management representative. |
