Benchmarking and best practice, tools or tripwires for improving schools?

For those who work in schools, it is difficult to regard the term 'benchmarking' as anything other than the behavior of a Year Nine class on Friday afternoons. After all, our business is stimulating hearts and minds to strive towards personal and social- and, for us, spiritual good. The 'bottom line' is the quality of the thoughts or to influence there actions, what right have we to be in business? But what is the business of education, what is meant by 'best practice', and what is 'benchmarking'?