ABSTRACT
School governing in the Nordic countries has for decades been structured in a three-level government system of state, local authorities and schools. Although there are variations across the countries, this common pattern runs through the Nordic systems. Moreover, in all Nordic countries, a relatively autonomous municipality sector constitutes the intermediate level of school governing. Empirical research on the Nordic systems points to a visible shift of modus from government to governance in Rhodes’ (1997) terminology. This development, with the exception of Finland, has been co-existing with the state’s up-scaling of quality assurance systems for the purpose of strengthening the schools’ accountability for student achievements. The current chapter analyses the shift from government to governance in three distinct areas of governance based on recent research. The first case is the formation of professional networks through which municipal system leaders interact with a range of stakeholders involved in public schooling. The second case refers to the interplay of public schools, municipalities and universities in common efforts to improve schools within a school district. Finally, in the third case the interplay of consulting-companies and public bodies in training programmes for school leaders is analysed. A common thread running through the illustrative cases is the tendency to decouple new governance forms from the political sphere of local authorities. Implications for local policy making, leadership and governance are discussed in the light of the cases.
