ABSTRACT
This chapter presents several aspects of a recent Norwegian educational reform and discusses more closely some of the consequences of a significant change of strategy in contemporary Norwegian developmental and decision-making processes in educational policy. The reform in question is the Elementary School Reform ‘97. It was finally approved in the Norwegian Parliament in 1995 after a process of several years. The reform is to take effect in all Norwegian municipalities beginning August 1997. Typical for Norwegian thinking, the educational reform includes initiatives which exceed by far the isolated concerns of the school. It is presented as four partial reforms, only one of which is directly related to schools in the narrow sense.
A children’s reform, inasmuch as schools will now have to assume responsibility for the “whole” child through a combination of school and after-school activities.
A family reform, inasmuch as the school will now help families by supervising children during necessary time before and after school hours.
A cultural reform inasmuch as the school will assume greater responsibility for the content of children’s free time.
An educational reform inasmuch as schools will be expanded so that children begin at the age of six, primary education thus lasting ten years. (Previously, school began at the age of seven and the obligatory school period was nine years.)
