Educational Policy and Planning. Goals for Educational Policy in Sweden. A Status Report on Compulsory Schooling and Higher Education.

Overview & Synopsis

This paper presents the state of current Swedish educational reform policy by describing the current state of Swedish education in compulsory comprehensive school (grades 1-9) and in higher education. The volume begins with a chapter on the external social factors affecting education. This is followed by chapters offering a general description of the present educational system and an evaluation of the compulsory comprehensive school. As part of the evaluation, the endeavor to achieve equality is examined. The next chapter concentrates on the links between education and society and working life. According to the analysis, the schools have relinquished their role as the major supplier of knowledge about the working world and society, but are expected to oversee student experiences in these areas. The next chapter looks at the reform of basic higher education. Now all types of postsecondary education form a unitary system with regard to planning and resource allocation. The objective of the reform was to design an administrative system for continuous self-renewal of universities and colleges. It is concluded that developments in both compulsory school and higher education reform mean greater decentralization. A summary of the document in French is included. (Author/JM)