tandfonline.com – Weathering the perfect policy storm: a case study of municipal responses to educational reform surges in Sweden

ABSTRACT

Global trends inspired by neo-liberal tendencies have influenced developments in the Swedish school system. A flurry of educational reforms over the last decades have rapidly transformed the municipal school arena into a market in which independent, for-profit schools have expanded and school segregation has increased. This article examines municipal responses to these reforms using the theoretical framework of policy enactment. More specifically, the genesis of Maple Grove secondary school in a Swedish municipality is analysed by taking contextual factors into account. These include reform and results pressure, inspections, teacher shortages and unexpected factors such as a large influx of refugees. These factors are traced to gain insights into how municipalities weather what can be described as a perfect policy storm.