Management of the folkeskole (municipal primary and lower secondary school)

In order to ensure that 95 per cent of young people complete a secondary education, schools must ensure that young people are better prepared. Therefore, we need to know more about how the Folkeskole (municipal primary and lower secondary schools) can be managed to enhance the learning of pupils at the same time as ensuring children's wellbeing at school. This requires knowledge about how schools are managed today. This report surveys the management of the Folkeskole. It shows, among other things, that school managers have become more professional through management training. Most school managers experience a high level of autonomy in relation to the municipality; they set high goals for the learning of the pupils and pupils' wellbeing; and most are involved in the choice of teaching methods. They do this by engaging in dialogue with teachers or making demands on them. School management is affected by external conditions, including the number of pupils and the social backgrounds of the pupils, school competition for pupils and municipal involvement in schools management. This report is the first of two reports about "School Management in the Folkeskole" that the SFI has been asked to prepare by the National Education Agency It is based on data from nationwide surveys of school managers and teachers as well as interviews and observations in six selected schools. The second report will analyse the importance of school management with regard to pupils' learning and the wellbeing of pupils and teachers.