Three Decades of School Failure in Swedish Compulsory School

Arensmeier, Cecilia

doi:10.1080/00313831.2020.1833235

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Still, the new grading terminology, with "approved" as key concept, makes the no-grade position equivalent to non-approved or failed. Contrary to expectations, this group becomes quite large (Arensmeier, 2019;2020), which has decisive consequences for admission to regular upper-secondary school. Even though schools/teachers are assigned the responsibility, the introduction of a criterion-referenced grading system immediately singles out a substantial proportion of compulsory school pupils as "failed", which was not the case in the previous norm-referenced system.…”

Section: Different Considerations Of the Weakest Pupilsmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…The expectation that this would also make school a better place for low-performing children has, after more than 20 years, not been met. On the contrary, the pattern of a substantial proportion of failing pupils remains, and is strikingly stable (Arensmeier, 2019;2020). Both schools and pupils have, due to the changes in grading logic and language, become failures (cf.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is anticipated, however, that more pupils than before will pass, thanks to the changes in the grading scale, among other things. Statistics show that this is not the case; the proportion of pupils without a passing grade remains stable in all subjects (Arensmeier, 2019;2020). 25 Even though schools and teachers are held responsible, an F also effectively defines pupils as having failed.…”

Section: Different Considerations Of the Weakest Pupilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Institutionalizing school failure: From abandoning to reintroducing a failing grade—the rationales behind Swedish grading reforms

Arensmeier

2021

J Educ Change

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The article aims to depict the political framing of three grading reforms in Swedish compulsory school, in terms of the political problem they are supposed to solve and what kind of attention is given to the lowest performing pupils. Discourse analysis is employed, focusing on statement producers. The empirical material consists of policy documents from the late 1930s to 2010. The analyses show that three cases of the same type of policy change, a new grading system, rely on very different problem representations. The changes were launched as an equality tool, an accountability measure and a remedy for declining results, respectively. The discourse about the least successful pupils differs. Reasonable demands and a ranking scale without a failing grade characterize the introduction of a norm-referenced system; a first criterion-referenced system rests on a belief that virtually all pupils will meet the formulated levels for passing, an expectation not met, and a changed focus behind the second criterion-referenced system normalizes that some pupils will fail compulsory school. The article also illustrates the merits of studying educational policy change through the theoretical lens of problem representations and directs attention to how reforms can have discursive effects as well as unintended side effects that matter substantially for some people.

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Section: Different Considerations Of the Weakest Pupilsmentioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Different Considerations Of the Weakest Pupilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Institutionalizing school failure: From abandoning to reintroducing a failing grade—the rationales behind Swedish grading reforms

Arensmeier

2021

J Educ Change

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“…During the early 1990s, a decentralized private school reform was implemented. The state became responsible for legislation and municipalities accountable for school management (Arensmeier, 2022). This reform paved the way for private organizations to establish new schools in a highly market-oriented education system (Imsen et al, 2017).…”

Section: The Swedish Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novice School Leaders’ Turnover Intentions: The Role of Working Conditions and Organizational Factors

Richard

2024

Educational Administration Quarterly

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Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationship between the psycho-social working conditions of novice school leaders and their turnover intentions, focusing on potential variations across public- and private schools and school levels. Research Methods: We invited all novice school leaders (n = 3,389) enrolled in the in-service Swedish Principal Training Program to participate in an extensive survey, with a 65% (n = 1,998) response rate. The survey investigated turnover intentions, working conditions, prerequisites, and organizational ambiguity. The collected survey data, in combination with official data, were analyzed using ANOVA's to identify differences across actors and school levels, and linear regressions to investigate factors explaining turnover intentions. Findings: The findings revealed higher turnover intentions among public school leaders compared to private school leaders. This was attributed to differences in prerequisites and organizational ambiguity. All novice school leaders exhibited similar patterns regarding factors strongly associated with turnover intention, despite actor and school level affiliation. Specific levels of demand, autonomy, and support combined, predicted turnover intentions among novice school leaders with notable accuracy. Implications for Research and Practice: The study has profound implications for stakeholders in the educational system striving to decrease novice school leader turnover. Providing adequate working conditions emerges as a key factor for nurturing and retaining school leaders from the novice pool, offering insights into strategies for managing leadership transition in schools.

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Globalisation, Education Policy and Reform: Changing Schools: Intercultural Preschools in Sweden

Olsson,

Cooper

2024

Fourth International Handbook of Globalisation, Education and Policy Research

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Three Decades of School Failure in Swedish Compulsory School

Cited by 4 publications

References 26 publications

Institutionalizing school failure: From abandoning to reintroducing a failing grade—the rationales behind Swedish grading reforms

Institutionalizing school failure: From abandoning to reintroducing a failing grade—the rationales behind Swedish grading reforms

Novice School Leaders’ Turnover Intentions: The Role of Working Conditions and Organizational Factors

Globalisation, Education Policy and Reform: Changing Schools: Intercultural Preschools in Sweden

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