No abstract

New forms of activities now shape and govern the Swedish education system, based on governance through comparison. The focus on comparison can be regarded as soft governance and different types of (self-) evaluations and valuations are, at present, deeply embedded keystones in the decentralised education system. Recently this has, together with the transformation of the Swedish education system, led to an increase in the number of documents being written in school for quality assurance and in order to assess, follow-up and evaluate students' learning and development. To address these challenges, different commercial actors have become part of school practices and market, e.g. digital tools for assessment. The government's acceptance of this industry has allowed the rise of neo-liberal ideas that are required in so-called 'knowledge economies'. The aim of this article is to report the findings from three empirical studies of how digital tools for documentation are viewed by teachers and used in practice. Our findings show that the digital tools shape both students', as well as the professionals', identities through their role of governing activities and processes. The usage of the tools could jeopardise teachers' profession and there is a risk of de-professionalism.

The aim of this article is to offer some reflections on the relationship between meanings of equity at the national level and those working with these questions in local schools. We argue that meanings of equity at the national level are in strong contrast to the range complexity identified in local schools. The article draws from case study research, and the empirical data were gathered in seven schools, ranging from preschools to upper secondary schools. Our focus is on how issues of equity are interpreted and what challenges the schools face in relation to this. Our intention is to gain insights into processes where values of equity are negotiated, renegotiated and reshaped in daily contexts in schools. Our results convey a complex picture with a wide variation in how school staff interpret and work with fundamental values. This variation appears both within and between schools. An analysis of the variations resulted in three overarching themes: values as taken for granted, values as formalized and values as a pedagogical flow. These three themes are not exclusive or limited; instead, they should be seen as intertwined.