From autonomy to quality management: NPM impacts on school governance in Switzerland

Translations of new public management: a decentred approach to school governance in four OECD countries

“…In Spain, for example, the state government shares responsibility with seventeen regional authorities to inform and guide the development of school governance, albeit a large number of important education decisions, whether they relate to law making, funding allocation or assessment frameworks, are centralised and organised by the state. In contrast, school governance in Switzerland is organised through state authorities called 'cantons' who create their own education laws as well as share powers with municipalities to intervene in the running of schools (Hangartner and Svaton 2013). Similarly, schools in Denmark are governed by municipal-run 'standing committees' and superintendents who oversee financial responsibility for schools within their jurisdiction (Moos, Kofod and Brinkkjaer 2015, 30) while in Scotland funding allocation and teacher recruitment is controlled by local education authorities (LEAs) (Shields and Gunson 2017).…”

“…Aligned with these trends, and parallel to trends in Australia (Gobby and Niesche 2019), has been a narrow instrumental focus to 'modernise' or 'professionalise' governance through appointing only suitably qualified, skilled and experienced individuals to the school governing body(Wilkins 2016), namely individuals who are best placed to carry out compliance checks, auditing, performance appraisals, and standard evaluations in the name of 'good governance'.In contrast to Anglo-Saxon countries like England and Australia where 'evaluation and accountability instruments are explicitly used to promote school competition and choice, and are more clearly attached to school rankings and merit-based pay formulas'(Verger, Fontdevila and Parcerisa 2019, 15), other countries, such as Nordic countries, or Switzerland, have 'embraced an outcomes-based management approach to education and introduced more centralised (and standards-oriented) curricula' (ibid, 7). Public education in Switzerland faced intense NPM reforms in the 1990s(Hangartner and Svaton 2013), during which time school autonomy, outputorientation, competition, and school choice were promoted as policy instruments to increase the quality of education in view of the challenges of economic globalization(Buschor 1997). While several attempts to introduce a quasi-market education system underpinned by school choice has largely failed due to Swiss citizens voting against such initiatives (Diem and Wolter 2013), elements of NPM, including a focus on organisational autonomy and leadership, integrated pedagogical initiatives and data-driven technologies as principles of school governance, are evident in the Swiss education system(Dubs 2011, 7-8).…”

Towards a national assessment policy in Switzerland: areas of conflict in the use of assessment instruments

“…In Switzerland, NPM concepts gained increasing popularity throughout the 1990s (Rieder, 2005). Most NPM-inspired reforms focused on management, supervision and accountability, leading to the introduction of head teachers and quality management procedures in most cantons (Hangartner & Svaton, 2013). The use of comparative data on educational outcomes has been intensely discussed in Switzerland.…”

Principals’ Views on Civic and Parental Participation in School Governance in Switzerland

“…In the Swiss federal system, compulsory schooling is the responsibility of the cantons and local municipalities (Felouzis & Charmillot, 2013; Hangartner & Svaton, 2013; Hega, 2000; Quesel et al, 2014). Although, during the 19th century, the cantons established frameworks for the curriculum, graduation, teacher education, and supervision, the governance of schools remained a local municipal affair.…”

“…Although consensus democracy has moderated the impact of the global wave of public management reforms, this wave does continue to impart important consequences for the governance of compulsory schooling in Switzerland. Similar to other countries, reforms in Switzerland aim to strengthen school autonomy, which aims to make the system more flexible and responsive to the needs of the social environment (Dubs, 2005; Hangartner & Svaton, 2013; Huber, 2011). As semiautonomous units with a strong client-orientation and an enhanced collective responsibility for the quality of learning opportunities and standards of teaching, schools, in Switzerland as elsewhere, have to be endowed with capacities of professional self-regulation (Hangartner & Svaton, 2014).…”