During the 90’s, several reforms took place in order to change the educational system. The reforms intended to increase the freedom of choice and to facilitate the start-up process for driving independent schools. A broad alliance of political parties from left to right supported these reforms. Twenty years later, the independent schools constitute a substantial part of schools in Sweden. However, recently there has been a debate about the expanding number of independent schools and whether these schools should be allowed to make profits or not.   In an official statement in the autumn of 2012 the Social Democratic Party announced their new policy declaring that independent schools and freedom of choice are important parts of the educational system. To prevent independent schools from making big profits, the Social Democratic Party launched ideas such as stringent quality requirements. This enquiry analyses the motions written by members of the parliament representing the Social Democratic Party in order to distinguish the pursued policy regarding independent school during the period 2006 - 2012. In this study, I draw the conclusion that members of the parliament representing the Social Democratic Party pursued different policies in the question regarding independent schools. It turned out there was a dividing line between those who pursued traditional working class politics and those who pursued a liberal middle class politics. The former were more eager to criticise the expansion of the independent schools than the latter. Making profit in publicly funded independent schools was something that most members of the Social Democratic Party disliked, but none of them raised their voices for a prohibition.

This paper examines and evaluates one of the entry barriers in the Swedish upper secondary school market,the governmental imposed restriction which states that the establishment of an independent school can notresult in substantial negative eects for municipal schools. Identication of what variables are consideredwhen ruling the establishment of an independent school inappropriate due to the risk of causing substantialnegative eects is carried out through quantitative analysis by gathering data from a stratied sample ofapplications sent in to the Swedish School Inspectorate 2011 and 2012 to start or expand independentschools. The probability of getting an application to start or expand independent school is regressed on thepredicted number of remaining students at municipal schools, on the predicted student population changeand on the municipality recommendation. The models developed show that the predicted number ofstudents left in municipal schools has a big impact on the probability of getting an application approvedwith distinct kinks in the explanatory power. The result also show that the predicted student populationschange is taken into account but that the municipal recommendation is not.

Background: School health services of today focus on prevention and health promotion within the school. A collaboration between the school health services and the student care team from the guidelines with focus on the student, is expected. Purpose: The purpose was to illustrate School nurses  vocational experiences and what the role of school health services in the student care team at upper secondary schools of John Bauer in relationship to the vision of the school. Method: Qualitative content analysis with inductive approach was used (Lundman &Hällgren-Graneheim, 2008). Data was collected by interviewing  school nurses at  School of John Bauer. Result: From the results school nurse´s health enhancement-and promoting work, team cooperation, prioritizing, management and co-ordination were found. From the data eight categories were found such as teamwork, health promoting tools, follow-up of schoolenvironment, knowledge, accessibility, low prioritized student care team, inadequate management and co-ordination of the team. Conclusion: According to the study, time limits and lack of comprehension from school management makes it more difficult for school health service to reach its fully potential. Theresults can be used to improve school nurses´ situation through self-education and encourage education of other student care team members and quality assurance.

The development of independent schools is a relatively new phenomenon, which has been increasing during the last 20 years. Most of the independent schools have been proliferated in the larger regions such as Stockholm, but are increasing more and more in smaller regions. This study aims to compare public and independent schools in the region of Sandviken and Gävle in order to analyse how the final grades are affected by different variables. From two different perspectives the focus is to see if location of schools and students makes any difference according to the distance decay and how important motivations are according to the choice theory and its ideas about motivation. This study is done by using statistics collected from the independent and public schools and also by a regression analysis. The conclusion is that there are no significant differences between the schools and students and the achievements, the location of the school, the relation between distance to school and achievements and there are no differences from a gender perspective. The schools themselves do also have an important role for good education as a good study environment may increase the students’ motivation for the education.

Independent schools are a central issue in the school world, the perception of independent schools varies and many people express opinions about them in the media. An independent school is according to the National Agency a school that has a different principal than the county or municipality. Independent schools may not charge fees but their revenue comes from municipal grants from municipalities (Berglund 2007, p. 10). An independent school can be driven by an association, foundation or company and to run an independent school requires a permit from the Education Department. The purpose of this paper is to see how four principals at independent schools with a Muslim profile are working to strengthen their students’ Muslim identity in relation to the society they live in and how schools work with value issues. We also had the intention of studying the schools environment. To help us, we used the following questions: How does the school principal integrate different value issues? What are the principals’ thoughts on their schools work with their students before meeting with the community? What are the principals thoughts on the schools work to enhance their students’ Muslim identity? What is the purpose of the school profile? What is the environment like in and around the school? We have used interviews and observations as a method to find out how principals producing work at an independent school with a Muslim profile, and how they work with students’ identity formation. In this qualitative study, we have interviews with two principals and two assistant principals and observations from three of the schools. Based on our research, we have concluded that there is little to distinguish an independent school with a Muslim profile from a public school. Both are part of the Swedish school system, so they must follow the national curriculum, the time plan, and the Education Act. According to the principals that we interviewed, what distinguishes an independent school with a Muslim profile from a public school is that they serve halal food, girls and boys have separate PE lessons, they have one lesson a week for the school's profile subject (Islam or Arabic), schools have a prayer room that students can access throughout the school day and the school is closed during the Muslim feasts. According to the principals that we interviewed, the main reason for choosing an independent school with a Muslim profile should be because of the work in the schools that is based on building up students’ Muslim identity. They do this for the students meeting with the society they live in, if the schools have built up a solid cultural foundation of the students, the transition to the community much easier. In our social world is the view of knowledge, learning and parenting culture bound. Lahdenperä writes about "learning -through-culture" and with this she means that children learn through their own culture, that shapes them as individuals and through it they learn what is worth to know (Lahdenperä 2003). Our observations revealed various differences between the schools’; the most obvious difference was the religious texts and symbols that were on Sham School. Our observations also showed different connections between the schools’; one was that they were in abandoned buildings, mostly in industrial areas. Another clear connection between the schools was that all had prayer rooms and these floors were covered with a large red carpet. The prayer rooms looked exactly like they do in a mosque. The conclusion of our study is that despite the schools’ public profile, independent schools with Muslim profile, they educate their students in different ways and their priorities are also different. Thus, one can´t assume that all independent schools with Muslim profile works the same way. Just as in public schools, it is about what the staff at the schools believe that the schools purpose and also their efforts to achieve the schools different goals.

In Sweden, there has been an increased discrepancy between increasing merit ratings and decreasing results in international surveys such as PISA. At the same time, since the 1990s, Sweden has had several reforms that resulted in increased competition, decentralization and trust-based evaluations. Several studies have shown that grade leniency depends on school provider as well as level of competition between schools. This study focuses on how grade inflation in municipality schools for 9th graders is affected when an independent school is established nearby, using a fixed-effects model at the municipality level but with control variables at the individual level. I study all Swedish 9th graders between 2003-2017. An alternative specification with school fixed effects is also presented. I find that grades are set more leniently in competitive municipalities and that grade deviance is highly correlated with socio-economic factors. It is also concluded that the effect size is small in comparison to the average provider difference and individual level characteristics. The study extends the literature by focusing on grade inflation amongst municipality schools, and by focusing on the change in grade inflation rather than the average effect over time in terms of provider differences.

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of faculty of color in K-12 independent schools in the United States with particular attention to either supportive or non-supportive factors in their work. This study was designed to explore strategies for school leaders to retain faculty of color. This study was composed of the interviews of 12 faculty of color working at independent schools. Although there has recently been more attention given to the need to diversify the student body in independent schools, these schools still face challenges in diversifying the faculty population. The findings indicate that there are many factors associated with faculty of color feeling supported at independent schools including general job satisfaction, support from school administration, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the school, emotional and psychological impacts, internal and external social issues, and support from colleagues, parents, and alumni of the school.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Education is among the industries shifting today to answer evolving global needs and opportunities. Influential organizations and thought leaders are calling for reimagining of teaching and learning. To prepare students for college and professions, an increasing number of K-12 independent schools are beginning to focus on deep learning experiences and building key “21st century skills” and competencies. These schools are also interested in their public purpose both as institutional citizens of their local communities and to connect their students to local and global communities. These connections provide students with an authentic context for application of learning and for community contribution. There is also now an opportunity to coordinate curricular goals with developmental goals related to students’ social-emotional growth and social responsibility. This study used online surveys taken by students and their teachers to explore whether high school courses with public good themes and experiences in independent schools nurture the development of 21st century skills in students. The eight skills studied were: Critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation, self-direction, global connections, local connections, and the use of technology. The skills were measured through frequency ratings of forty-eight classroom practices. Findings show that both students and teachers believe these courses do nurture each skill – some with greater emphasis. Students reported critical thinking, communication, self-direction and making local connections as the skills most learned in their courses, while teachers reported that students most learned these same skills with the addition of collaboration. Teachers use a number of practices in the classroom to develop 21st century skills and most students found the practices relevant to their course.

Secondary English language arts (ELA) teachers in independent K–12 schools are well-situated to teach for social justice as they do not face the same constraints prevalent in many public schools, such as restrictive curricular mandates, high-stakes testing, and legislation resulting from the weaponization of critical pedagogy. Thus, secondary ELA teachers often have the liberty to craft their own curricula and use literature, verse, and other media as vehicles for teaching social justice. Despite an increase in empirical research examining social justice teaching in various contexts throughout K–12 education, there was a gap in the research focused on social justice teaching in the secondary ELA classroom in independent schools. To address this gap, this qualitative multicase study investigated how three secondary ELA teachers in three independent schools in Southern California perceived and enacted social justice teaching to foster critical engagement. The study further explored how teacher participants’ beliefs and practices about social justice teaching intersected with their independent schools. Cross-case analyses of demographic questionnaires, semistructured interviews, classroom observations, and class syllabi provided rich descriptions of how secondary ELA teachers understood and operationalized justice-oriented practices and demonstrated meaningful social justice teaching in the independent school context. Findings revealed teacher participants valued inclusive curricula, identity work, building relationships, the examination of literature through multiple perspectives, discussion-centered classrooms, students’ well-being, and critical engagement. Additionally, cross-case themes identified included teachers’ autonomy, commitment to growth, and the navigation of tensions associated with teaching in privileged schools.

This thesis is a comparative analysis of the neoliberal market-based reforms and outcomes implemented in both the United States and Sweden during the latter portion of the twentieth century. This thesis highlights the impact associated with the implementation of the reforms then does a comparative analysis of the outcomes. This thesis seeks to uncover the impact of the reforms and the true nature of the reforms. Many classical sociological theories are used to analyze and contextualize the education reforms as a means to preserve existing social stratifications and societal norms and introduce the capacity for private access to public education funding. Theorists used for this thesis include Karl Marx, Max Weber, Samuel Bowles, Herbert Gintis, Iris Marion Young, Stephen J. McNamee and Robert K. Miller. When analyzing these reforms through the lenses provided by the theorists, it is clear that government rhetoric associated with the reforms in both nations served as a disguise for other objectives, which this thesis shows.