Choosing for Quality or Inequality: Current Perspectives on the Implementation of School Choice Policy in Sweden

Autor/in	Bunar, Nihad
Titel	Choosing for Quality or Inequality: Current Perspectives on the Implementation of School Choice Policy in Sweden
Quelle	In: Journal of Education Policy, 25 (2010) 1, S.1-18 (18 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0268-0939
Schlagwörter	School Choice; Educational Quality; Foreign Countries; Educational Policy; Educational Attitudes; Academic Achievement; Costs; School Segregation; Equal Education; Business; Political Attitudes; Sweden + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Choice of school; Schulwahl; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Ausland; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Educational attitude; Bildungsverhalten; Erziehungseinstellung; Schulleistung; Cost; Kosten; Business studies; Wirtschaft; Betriebswirtschaft; Political attitude; Politische Einstellung; Schweden
Abstract	A policy of school choice has, in various shapes, been implemented in educational systems across the world during the last decades. Drawing on various empirical and theoretical sources, the aim of this article is to distinguish the key defining elements of the Swedish school choice policy and to present and discuss some of its outcomes in terms of segregation, costs, and student achievements. Thus I show that the policy design contains some peculiarities since it nourishes both a strong market-orientation and an equally strong market-skepticism. Regarding the outcomes I show that the research is pervaded by ambiguity and uncertainty regarding whether the policy has delivered its promises or, on the contrary, it has worsened the state of education by increasing segregation and crowding out some schools of their socially strongest students. Finally, I argue that due to its peculiarities the school choice policy in itself so far has, surprisingly or not, had a relatively small impact on the overall educational quality and equity in Sweden. I also argue that since the market forces are definitely gaining the upper hand under the current liberal-conservative government, we can soon expect some decisive changes in the way school choice operates and with what results in Sweden. (Contains 9 notes.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10