The literature of the 1990s was concerned with self-evaluation of schools and by schools,
assuming them to be self-motivated as well as self-sufficient to explore and consequently, to
improve quality. The practice of self-evaluation was explicitly connected to democratization
in terms of autonomy and empowerment of school management, as well as individualization
expressed as increased concern for the needs of diverse students. The increased autonomy of
schools and regions in the 1990s combined with insufficient federal funding for education
empowered principals as school managers, giving them significantly more independence as well
as new responsibilities and concerns. Hence the literature on school management started to
appear, proposing quality improvement methods suitable for diverse schools.