The Swedish Superintendent in the Policy Stream

Abstract

During the last several decades, educational reform in Sweden has been at once contentious, fast paced, and uneven as control of Parliament and educational policy shifted between left- and right-wing political factions. These political power shifts within Parliament created tension between national and local municipal governments and provoked reactions by educators and local school boards. Passage of the Education Act of 2010 turned emphasis to improving educational quality and academic quality, which had a significant impact on how schools were governed, structured and administered, and required superintendents to navigate through a complex system of national control and municipal support functions.