School-Autonomy-with-Accountability: Cross-national configurations of a global policy model

• In Event: Data for accountability in education: Global trends in school reform

Proposal

Contemporary educational reform has increasingly allowed schools greater discretion in pedagogical decisions and resource allocation, while also introducing advanced policy instruments for external assessment and support. The concept of School Autonomy with Accountability (SAWA) encapsulates this reform approach, promoting increased autonomy and accountability within schools simultaneously. This paper will explore how SAWA is constructed and diffused as a global policy model, along with the model's configuration and implementation across various educational contexts, underscoring the strategic role of national institutions and the translation mechanisms involved (see Maroy and Pons 2019). Furthermore, it will explore how teachers and other school actors interpret and engage with SAWA policies, often resulting in a disconnect between regulatory aims and practical application, or in collective actions that influence the redefinition of SAWA frameworks (Béland et al 2018). Both instrumentation and sense-making processes intervene thus critically in how SAWA is enacted and its implications for school organization and educational practices. This research contributes a cross-national analysis of the mechanisms and conditions that shape divergent trajectories of school reform. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this research integrates questionnaire data from teachers and school leaders in urban schools in Norway, Chile, and Spain with semi-structured interviews conducted with key informants, including teachers and school leaders in the same countries.

Author

• Antoni Verger, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona