The exponential growth of school inspection to monitor and evaluate the quality of education in the last two decades has been influenced by several global economic and socio-political drivers, particularly the policies of transnational organizations, such as UNESCO, the OECD, and the World. It is important to note, however, that the influence of these international drivers is mediated by the histories, traditions, policies, and perhaps most of the politics of countries. To illustrate this point, we chose to study the school evaluation systems of four different countries, Dubai, Ireland, New Zealand, and Pakistan, and the drivers that contributed to their development. For the purpose of this research, we conducted an analysis of the literature, official websites, and documents produced by theinspectorates of these countries. We conclude that while the influence of transnational agencies on the growth of school inspection in these countries is clear, the local socio-political context has, also, in our view, a significant influence.