A Widening Gap Between Official Teacher Training and Professional Life in Norway

Abstract

A sociological case study of Norwegian teachers reveals how teacher education reforms have inadequate definitions of teacher competence. Legislators, officials and the media continue to uphold the image of a school system and teaching profession in crisis in several OECD countries. For the Nordic welfare states, education is a public good. Mediocre results in international comparisons cause public debate regarding the quality of the educational system. This has led to a devaluation of teachers and teacher education. The aim of this article is to analyze and discuss how teacher education is valued and converted by Norwegian teachers. Interviews and written accounts from novice teachers and persons with teacher training working outside of the school environment suggest an alternative narrative in which teachers’ competences are in high demand. The results and discussion reveal a more nuanced way to view teachers’ expertise as an asset in a multitude of careers.

School Leaders’ Autonomy in Public and Private School Contexts: Blurring Policy Requirements

“…In addition, several reforms have been implemented to ensure the quality and national standardization of education (e.g., new national teacher education frameworks). In most cases, these frameworks are legitimized based on OECD standards (Smeplass & Leiulfsrud, 2022). To further enhance quality and performance in education, and to inform educational authorities on different levels, comprehensive government projects were initiated, such as the introduction of a quality evaluation system in 2005, and the promotion of formative assessments (Helgøy et al, 2007;Tveit, 2014).…”

“…This reform was accompanied by changes to school leaders' responsibilities and tasks, as well as comprehensive competence-building measures aimed specifically at school leaders, such as rector schooling (Karseth et al, 2013;Møller, 2009). In addition, a growing number of reforms have been introduced to improve teacher education and teacher quality, and ensure the national standardization of education (Smeplass & Leiulfsrud, 2022).…”