Management, Learning And Well-Being in Municipal Primary and Lower Secondary Schools

This report explores the correlations between management, learning and well-being in Danish municipal primary and lower secondary schools. The report shows that pupils learn more at schools where the management team consists of professional managers with a high degree of autonomy, and where academic skills and team work are given high priority. This is also true when results are adjusted for the pupil composition at the individual school. On the other hand, there is no clear correlation between management and pupils' well-being, and in general, the better the pupils perform academically, the higher is their level of well-being. Teachers thrive best at schools where management shows involvement in pedagogical issues and where there is a strong academic environment. The overall indication is that strong focus on academic skills yields more competent pupils, with no detriment to the well-being of either pupils or teachers. This report is the second report from the study of 'school management in the Danish municipal primary and lower secondary schools'. The full study has been commissioned and financed by the National Education Agency on behalf of Skolerådets Formandskab (the presidency for the school council; the council for evaluation and quality development in Danish municipal primary and lower secondary schools).