School Superintendents as Translators of Policy from the National to the Municipal Level: Emerging Discourse About an Evidence-Based Practice

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v27i3.14173

Keywords:

school superintendent, policy discourse, dominant idea, evidence-based practice

Abstract

Policy discourses focus on (and set limits to) what is considered acceptable to say and to do. Within a discourse, a dominant idea can influence how the discourse unfolds. The present study examines the dominant idea that education should be an evidence-based practice. We explore how this dominant idea at the national level is translated into local practice by school superintendents at municipal education departments in a Swedish context. Sixty-five of Sweden’s 290 municipalities were chosen for this study based on their geographical location and size. We found 16 documents from nine authorities that explicitly mentioned evidence-based practice. A discourse analysis of these documents identified six themes that may indicate how school superintendents interpret and translate the dominant idea. The discourses are evidence-based practice in terms of (i) ‘mirroring’, (ii) ‘professional competence’, (iii) ‘collaboration’, (iv) ‘literature review’, (v) ‘method’, and (vi) ‘quality work’. Thus, there are a number of different ways in which the national policy is translated at the municipal level. What we observe in the discourses, however, expresses provisional attempts at defining evidence-based practice, thereby suggesting that, at the local level, education management teams are prepared to accommodate ideas from alternative areas instead of relying on and developing methods and ways of working that (historically) have been used in education. A critical insight for practice is that we should examine the grey areas between research and policy; specifically, where policy materials imitate research in an attempt to influence practice under the disguise of ‘evidence’.

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Author Biographies

Cecilia Bjursell, Jönköping University School of Education and Communication, Sweden

Cecilia Bjursell is professor of education at the School of Education and Communication and director of Encell, the National Centre for Lifelong Learning, at Jönköping University, Sweden. In her research, she is interested in organizing, learning, and narrative approaches in different empirical contexts. Her current projects include learning later in life, and lifelong learning in working life. As Encell’s Director, collaboration with the surrounding society is a central part of her work.

Charlotte Sjödahl, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, Sweden

Charlotte Sjödahl is a part-time doctoral student at the School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University. She has previously worked with development and management of education at top level management in several municipalities and is now a consultant in the field of education.

Joel Hedegaard, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, Sweden

Joel Hedegaard is an assistant professor of education at the School of Education and Communication at Jönköping University, Sweden. He is affiliated to Encell, the National Centre for Lifelong Learning. Joel's main research interest is in how formal and informal learning environments provide opportunities for inclusion for individuals and groups who are, or run the risk of, exclusion. Current research projects include adult learning and labor market integration initiatives, and learning for older men.

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Published

2023-09-15

How to Cite

Bjursell, C., Sjödahl, C., & Hedegaard, J. (2023). School Superintendents as Translators of Policy from the National to the Municipal Level: Emerging Discourse About an Evidence-Based Practice. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 27(3), 24–36. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v27i3.14173

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