School Board Governance in Sweden

• In Event: International School Boards in the Governance Process

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this research is to analyze the Swedish school boards and their role in the Governance Chain and Policy Streams. Our focus is to identify differences between school boards in their understandings of the tasks to improve and sustain school improvement. How do the school boards look upon their roles in the education system of a municipality? How do they understand the governing system; the political and administrative levels on the local level and do they experience tensions between the national and local level?
The Swedish system for governing the schools has a national level with the Government and Parliament/Riksdag/ that makes the basic decisions in relation to content through binding laws, regulations for the schools and the school districts. The most important ones are a school law, national curriculum and syllabuses for different subjects, decisions about teacher training, teacher qualifications and a compulsory principal training program for all newly appointed principals. The National Agency for Education is the central administrative authority for the public school system, publicly organized pre-schooling, and school-age childcare and for adult education. The mission of this Agency is to actively work for the attainment of the goals. The Swedish Schools Inspectorate is another national agency that checks that the schools comply with the legislation and other provisions applicable to their activities.
Methods, Data Sources: Researchers formed collaboration with Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the United States. The researchers met over two years to create an International Governance Survey. The re-cultured survey was administered to all school board members in the country.
Results: Results across countries were compared and data trends were noted. Emerging themes across countries were developed and implications and recommendations for (a) control and trust, (b) power and influence, (c) quality assurance and satisfaction (d) politics, administration and professionalism, (e) democracy and ‘member knowledge’, (e) management and leadership, (f) multi-level governance, and (g) school board and superintendent relations was compared between Sweden and the other countries in the study.
Significance: Study findings provide evidence to address a variety of issues currently being debated in all countries regarding school governance. These include democracy, leadership, quality assurance, and power and influence. Findings and emerging themes across the participating countries in the study allow for improving school governance models in multiple countries.

Authors

• Elisabet Nihlfors, Uppsala University

• Olof Johansson, Umeå universitet