National Testing: Gains or Strains? School Leaders’ Responses to Policy Demands

ABSTRACT

Studies have shown that principals are essential in successfully implementing large-scale policy reforms in schools. However, the issue of how school leaders interpret and transform reforms is understudied. This article explores how twelve Norwegian school leaders respond to external demands in a new policy context emphasizing national test results. The study aims to explore school-level aspects of policy interpretation. The distinction between external and internal accountability and different coupling mechanisms serve as analytical concepts. The findings involving symbolic responses and interpretations that fit with preexisting understanding suggest the school leaders were not directly governed by the new policy context.

Notes

^1. In this study, the concept of school leadership means all formal leadership positions in schools (e.g., principal, deputies, teacher team-leader, head of department).

^2. The Knowledge Promotion reform in compulsory and upper secondary education and training, level 1–13, was launched in 2006 and revised in 2013 (www.kd.dep.no). National testing was introduced as part of this reform.

^3. Deputy manager: In this study, the title deputy manager is given to those with formal responsibilities associated with the former assistant principal role. The deputy managers are currently responsible for managing subject matters and human resources in “their” grade levels, including economic responsibility for parts of the school’s budget.