Professional Development for Superintendents in Three Different National Contexts: Sweden

• In Event: Professional Development for Superintendents in Three Different National Contexts: Knowledge, Experiences, and Outcomes

Abstract

Sweden
In Sweden, a superintendent is an appointed civil manager who works under a politically-appointed educational board with politicians and is reskponsible to ? the CEO of the local municipality. A superintendent is responsible for the local schools and how they perform. A particular feature of the system is that every principal has to relate to two “masters”, one local (the superintendent) and one national (the state). Furthermore, and depending on current political policies, traditions, size of the municipality, and even contemporary organizational structures, municipalities tend to organize their education administrations differently. (Johansson, 2016; Svedberg, 2016).
Sweden has, over the years, been accepting many asylum seekers while also looking for workforce support from many European countries. Sweden and Germany are the two countries that have had the most generous regulations with respect to the right for asylum for refugees from outside Europe. The number of positive asylum made from 2010 has increased rapidly over the years, with the number three times higher in 2018 than in 2010. This new situation presents a great challenge for the education system and the superintendents.
The Association of Swedish Superintendents is a politically independent organization which focus on superintendents’ professional interests. The purpose of the association is to promote school development in general, promote the development of superintendents in particular, and to participate in the public debate on school development and related educational issues. In this vein the association started in 2004 to organizes three different series of seminars, courses and an annual national conference for superintendents. Each series of seminars consists of four residential two-day meetings and the number of participants is limited to approximately 25 superintendents. Thus, this is a unique example of an independent association where the profession itself takes responsibility and develops its own knowledge base.

Authors

• Olof CA Johansson, Umeå universitet

• Helene K. Arlestig, University of Umeå