What Works in Nordic School Policies? Mapping Approaches to Evidence, Social Technologies and Transnational Influences. Educational Governance Research. Volume 15

This book offers an original contribution to the area of international research on comparative education policies and the influence of transnational agencies on national school policy and reform. With a focus on grasping what the Nordic model or the Nordic dimension means in school and educational policy, the book explores in depth the school policy contexts of the five Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. It demonstrates how these particular national contexts engage with and contextualize transnational collaboration on issues like school reform, accountability, evidence and what works, and digitalization. The book situates these policy issues over a long period of time while integrating the latest developments and reforms. It demonstrates how context matters. It shows how the often elusive, but pervasive Nordic dimension can only be fully understood by painstaking scrutiny of the five national contexts, their particular trajectories and mutual interactions in formal and informal education. Foreword: Dare to Cross Boundaries to Gain New Knowledge 6 References 9 Foreword: Useful Knowledge in the Twenty-First Century 10 References 12 Contents 14 About the Contributors 16 Part I: Introduction 19 Chapter 1: Nordic School Policy Approaches to Evidence, Social Technologies and Transnational Collaboration 20 Introduction 20 Comparison 22 Nordicness: Reality or Myth? 23 Middle Ages to 1900 23 Twentieth Century 25 Post World War II: Welfare – and Competition States 25 Global Education Policy 27 Global Governance 27 New Public Management: Management by Objectives and Outcomes 29 Social Technologies 30 Education Systems and Discourses, and the Particularly Nordic Features 31 School Reforms 32 Digital Education and eduBusiness 34 Evidence and What Works 34 Overview of the Volume 35 Country Reports 36 Thematic Chapters 38 References 40 Part II: Country Reports 44 Chapter 2: Denmark: Contracts and Evidence-Based Best Practice 45 Early Nordic Co-existence: War and Peace 46 Society and Education 47 Building a Welfare State 48 Government and Governance 49 Transition to Neo-Liberal Globalisation 50 The Current Modernization: The Contract 52 Discourses in Educational Policy and Theory 55 The School Reform 2013 56 Digitalisation and Business 57 Discussion 58 References 59 Chapter 3: Finland – The Late-Comer That Became the Envy of Its Nordic School Competitors 63 Finland, a Late-Comer in Terms of Reconstruction, Structural Change and Modernization 64 Late But Rapid Booming... in Finnish Education as Well 66 The Steps Closer to the Western World and Capitalist System 70 Some Conclusions and a Widening of the Perspective: Finland – Finding Its Own Way in Between and Not Only at the Top After All? 76 References 78 Chapter 4: The Intricacies of Educational Development in Iceland: Stability or Disruption? 83 Introduction 84 Educational Structures: A Developmental Overview 85 Landmarks and Six Characteristics of Development in Icelandic Educational History 86 Governance, as a Tool for Development 88 Governance in the Icelandic System 88 External Influence 92 Discussion 95 Conclusion 98 References 98 Chapter 5: Production, Transforming and Practicing ‘What Works’ in Education – The Case of Norway 103 The Norwegian Education System 1955–1975: The Social Democratic Welfarist Legacy 104 The Growth of Neo-Liberal Reforms in Education 105 Trans-National Influences on the National Structures, Policies and Governance Relations 107 School Reforms – Balances Between Educational Discourses 108 Digital Education and Digitization 110 Evidence and What Works 112 Conclusion 114 References 115 Chapter 6: Evidence in the History of School Reforms in Sweden 119 Introduction 120 Evidence in Education: Exploring Knowledge Traditions and Positions 121 Evidence in Educational Policy-Making 123 The Swedish Case 123 Education Research and School Reforms 124 Education Research and Rational Planning (1940–1970) 125 Educational Expansion and Professional Knowledge (1970–1990) 127 The Example of Curriculum Theory 128 The Example of Large-Scale Assessment Surveys 129 Education Research and Educational Restructuring (1990–2010) 130 Education Research and Performative Accountability (2010–) 132 A Global Idea on Best Practice Enters Swedish Policy-Making 132 The “New” Production of Evidence in Education 134 The Future of Education Research in an Era of Evidence-Based Education 136 Bringing Theory Back In 137 References 139 Part III: Thematic Chapters 142 Chapter 7: Danish – and Nordic – School Policy: Its Anglo-American Connections and Influences 143 Introduction 144 Human Capital and Rational Choice Theory 146 School Effectiveness and Improvement 148 ‘Evidence’ and ‘What Works’ 149 Inspiration from the Anglophone Powers: England, New Zealand and Ontario 151 England: The Centrally Run Model for Market-Oriented Schools 153 New Zealand: Decentralized Marketization of Local School Development 154 Ontario (Canada): Partnership Between Ministry and Schools 156 The United States: The Anglo-American Giant, a Paradoxically Underrated Player 157 Conclusion: Adopting and Re-contextualizing Anglo-American Influences on Danish Schools 160 References 161 Chapter 8: The Nordic Social Democratic Regime in Education Colliding with the Global Neo-Liberal Regime 166 Introduction 167 The Mainstream of Global Neo-Liberal Regime and Governance 169 The Nordic Historical Tunes of the Social Democratic Educational Politics Regime 173 Transition from the Nordic Social Democratic Model to the More Western Anglo-American Liberal Model 175 Embedded Path-Dependent Egalitarianism, Travelling Market-Liberalism, Contingency and Radical Decentralization 177 Concluding Remarks 180 References 180 Chapter 9: Evidence and Accountability in Icelandic Education – An Historical Perspective? 186 Introduction 186 Three Important Purposes of Evidence Use in Education 187 Evidence, Accountability and Tests in Icelandic Schools 188 Accountability – And Evaluation in Icelandic Education 189 The Harboe Inspection 189 Evaluation for Equity in the 1930s and 1940s 190 National Tests 1974–2020 191 Accountability, Evaluation and International Comparisons in the 1990s – The Initial Steps 192 A Variety of Evaluations and Reform Discourses 194 The Second Decade of the Twenty-First Century – Moving Towards 2020 195 The Use of Research 196 A Return to the Question of Influence in an Evidence-Based World 197 Nordic or Other Influences on Icelandic Education 198 Connections and Influences of International Organizations 199 Discussion 201 Returning to the Question of the Impact of Evidence on Policy 201 The Nordic and International Connections 201 Three Emerging Questions 202 References 204 Chapter 10: Governance Through Digital Formations – The Case of ‘What Works’ in a Norwegian Education Context 208 Introduction 209 Digitization and Big Data in Norwegian Education (Context) 211 Policy Assemblage 212 Methodology 214 Findings 216 Digital Formations 216 Governance Tools 218 Human Beings 219 Discussion 220 Conclusion 222 References 223 Chapter 11: Understanding Swedish Educational Policy Developments in the Field of Digital Education 226 Introduction 227 Frameworks 228 Rational Planning (1960–1990) 229 Educational Restructuring (1990–2010) 229 Performance Accountability (2010–) 230 Data Selection and Analysis 230 Findings 233 The Goal and Strategies of Digital Education 233 Centralization and Top-Down Initiatives 233 Decentralization and Evidence-Based Practice 234 The Use of Big Data and International Comparison 236 The Role of Digital Technology in Education 237 Digitalization as a Means for Achieving Equality and Equivalence 237 Digitalization as a Tool for Effective Teaching and Learning 239 Digitalization as an Instrument for Global Competition 241 Discussion and Conclusion 242 References 244 Part IV: Discussion 247 Chapter 12: Discussion: The Nordic Dimension in National School Policies and Transnational Social Technologies? 248 Is There Such a Thing as a Nordic Dimension or a Nordic Model in School and Education? 249 Nordicness: An Ambivalent Phenomenon Leading to Pragmatic Success 250 Pragmatic Collaboration Around School and Education 251 International and Transnational Collaborations and the Nordic Dimension 252 Social Technologies: Evidence and ‘What Works’ in a Nordic Guise 254 The Neo-liberal Turn and Its Impact Upon School Policy in Different – but Similar – Nordic Contexts 256 Similarities and Differences in Nordic School and Education Governance 259 Digital Potentials and Disruptions to Nordic Contexts 260 Conclusion 262 References 263