School boards and superintendents doing local curriculum work: Conflict or successful cooperation?. Issue 7 (19th August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Skott, Pia; Roberts, Brian; Arlestig, Helene
• Is Part Of: International journal of educational management. Volume 28:Issue 7(2014)
• Publication Date: 2014-08-19
• Subjects: School management and organization -- Periodicals; Universities and colleges -- Administration -- Periodicals; 371.2
• DOI: 10.1108/IJEM-08-2013-0126
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0951-354X

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x content-type="archive" xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec sec-type="purpose"> <title>Purpose</title> <p>The article is about a specific part of the Swedish governing system: the municipality, which has the responsibility of implementing national school goals. The starting point is an identified local governing chain including the chairman of the politically elected school board, the superintendent, principals and head teachers. It is the first link in this chain which is in focus, between chairmen and superintendents. The purpose is to investigate their role understanding and enactment: What roles do they have, formally and enacted? Is it a clear or blurred line between them? What can be seen as causing conflict or success? </p> </sec> <sec sec-type="design|methodology|approach"> <title>Design/methodology/approach</title> <p>The article is part of a larger research project focusing on what happens when national policy meets local governing structures. The project as a whole has a mixed method design and includes surveys with superintendents, politicians and principals. It also includes interviews with chairmen of local school boards, superintendents and principals. In this article the focus is on interviews made with politicians and superintendents in six (of 290) municipalities followed over time (including a political election between our visits). The municipalities are spread over the country, with shifting political majorities. </p> </sec> <sec sec-type="findings"> <title>Findings</title> <p>We identify that there seem to be a shared formal role understanding in that politicians are responsible for the what-side and superintendents for the how-side of the local work. The roles are however enacted in a blurred zone with role intrusion as an active component. What causes a conflict or not is if the two have a shared understanding of how to play the game. This makes the local work sensitive to changes on the positions. Success comes from a relationship built on trust and where there is a mutual understanding of how to work. </p> </sec> <sec sec-type="research limitations|implications"> <title>Research limitations/implications</title> <p>The study is built on a small selection of municipalities and must be complemented by further ones to be able to generalise the results. What it can say something about is however how actors in six different local settings enact the same kinds of assignments and if there are similarities and differences between their role enactment. </p> </sec> <sec sec-type="originality|value"> <title>Originality/value</title> <p>Although the study is built on a small selection of municipalities it is unique in that it follows interlinked actors over time, making it possible not only to discuss municipality stereotypes but study human relationships over time. This also makes it possible to discuss new aspects of governing chains.</p> </sec> </abstract>