Beate Kasper makes it clear that the use of instruments from quality management does not contribute to the success of students and does not improve school quality. Through a fundamental language-analytical critique of the concept of quality, including references to Searle and Wittgenstein, she establishes a parallel between the definition of quality before the Enlightenment and the common definition in quality management. Based on surveys of school leaders and teachers in two secondary studies, the author demonstrates that the involved actors from schools, as well as from education policy and educational administration, pursue their own interests and do not deviate from traditional patterns. The governance-analytical classification of the results leads to the conclusion that a paradigm shift from input to output control in the education system is necessary.