Improving School Leadership Activity Education and Training Policy Division http://www.oecd.org/edu/schoolleadership DIRECTORATE FOR EDUCATION IMPROVING SCHOOL LEADERSHIP COUNTRY BACKGROUND REPORT for NORWAY Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training Coordinated by Arnhild Hegtun and Eli Ottesen January 2007 This report was prepared for the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training for the OECD Activity Improving School Leadership following common guidelines the OECD provided to all countries participating in the activity. Country background reports can be found at www.oecd.org/edu/schoolleadership. Norway has granted the OECD permission to include this document on the OECD Internet Home Page. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the national authority, the OECD or its Member countries. The copyright conditions governing access to information on the OECD Home Page are provided at www.oecd.org/rights Improving School Leadership – OECD 2007 – Norwegian Background Report IMPROVING SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IMPROVING SCHOOL LEADERSHIP................................................................................................................2 Improving School Leadership report - contributors.............................................................................................4 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................................5 SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................................................7 CHAPTER 1: THE NORWEGIAN CONTEXT OF SCHOOLING .................................................................9 1.1 Political context..................................................................................................................................................9 1.2 Historical context...............................................................................................................................................9 1.3 Demographic context........................................................................................................................................9 1.4 Economic context............................................................................................................................................10 1.5 Social and cultural context ..............................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 2: THE NORWEGIAN SCHOOL SYSTEM...................................................................................12 2.1 Structural features of the school system ........................................................................................................12 2.2 Availability of public and private resources for schooling ...........................................................................14 2.3 Governance of the school system and the regulatory framework for schools...........................................15 2.4 Changes in goals and objectives of the school system over the last decade...............................................16 2.5 Unions for teachers and school leaders .........................................................................................................17 2.6 Public perceptions about the role of schools, the quality of schooling, and the status of teachers and school leaders .........................................................................................................................................................18 CHAPTER 3: SCHOOL GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP IN NORWAY ..........................................19 3.1 Conceptualising school leadership .................................................................................................................19 3.2 Regulatory framework that governs the roles and responsibilities of school leaders ................................19 3.3 Challenges school leadership face in Norway ...............................................................................................20 3.4 Distribution of responsibilities for decision making in the public school sector.......................................27 3.5 Governance structure in the school system, and roles and responsibilities of school leaders..................28 3.6 Division of responsibility between school leaders and the school governing board or local/regional education authority ................................................................................................................................................29 3.7 The balance between autonomy, and transparency and accountability at the school level.......................30 3.8 Organisation and leadership structures within the school............................................................................32 3.9 Tensions regarding priorities in leadership responsibilities..........................................................................33 3.10 Collaboration between schools.....................................................................................................................34 3.11 The school’s role in broader community service and development..........................................................36 3.12 Competencies and school characteristics.....................................................................................................36 3.13 Core competencies for effective school leadership ....................................................................................36 3.14 Innovations related to the organisation of leadership roles in schools.....................................................37 CHAPTER 4: ENHANCING LEARNING AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP.................................................39 4.1 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment .........................................................................................39 4.2 The role of school leadership in the development and evaluation of policies for teaching, learning and assessment ..............................................................................................................................................................39 4.3 Issues of accountability ...................................................................................................................................40 4.4 Monitoring students’ disciplinary behaviour, learning progress and outcomes..........................................41 4.5 Monitoring curriculum development and implementation ..........................................................................42 4.6 School leaders’ teaching responsibilities ........................................................................................................42 4.7 Teacher observation/peer coaching/mentoring...........................................................................................42 4.8 Evaluation of teachers’ performance .............................................................................................................42 4.9 Teachers’ professional development..............................................................................................................43 4.10 – 4.11 Leadership practice and learning in schools - Relevant research studies.......................................45 4.12 Policy initiatives which have been undertaken or are planned to support learning-centred leadership. 46 4.13 Issues with high priority for future policy development in strengthening learning-centred leadership. 47 CHAPTER 5: THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE SCHOOL LEADERS’ ROLE........................................49 5.1 Major concerns about the supply and quality of school leaders in Norway ...............................................49 5.2 Monitoring of the supply versus demand situation of school leaders.........................................................50 5.3 Composition of school leaders and changes over the past 10 years............................................................50 5.4 Evidence of the reasons why qualified candidates may choose not to apply for leadership positions .... 50 2 Improving School Leadership – OECD 2007 – Norwegian Background Report 5.5 Evidence on the proportion of teachers who aspire to school leadership positions as part of their career path .........................................................................................................................................................................51 5.6 Leadership positions, assignment and equitable distribution of school leaders among schools............... 52 5.7 School leaders’ position...................................................................................................................................52 5.8 Evaluation of school leaders and employment renewal ...............................................................................52 5.9 Leadership salary..............................................................................................................................................53 5.10 Salaries and working conditions of school leaders......................................................................................53 5.11 School leaders - long-term career commitment or a short-term assignment .......................................... 55 5.12 and 5.13 Data on the numbers of school leaders who leave the profession each year............................55