Who is affected by and cares about school development?

Actors in school development are, for example, the state authorities, local education authorities, school managers, principals, teachers, pupils and all the other professions in the school system. In addition, school development also includes the stakeholders involved in and wishing to exert influence in the school. This can be guardians, researchers, associations, politicians, or companies. As schools are increasingly seen as self-governing entities responsible for their own development, school development has become an industry shaped by numerous stakeholders.

Improving the quality of education

School development concerns work to change the educational workplace in order to improve the quality of education, or to meet different challenges in school and society. The aim is also to ensure children, young people and adults the right to equal education regardless of their background and circumstances, and the opportunity to go as far as possible in their education. School development can take place at the initiative of reformers, school principals, or from within the schools themselves. It can also be done in collaborations between internal and external stakeholders of the schools.

Always relevant

All of this also implies that school development, like school as an institution, is embedded in sociocultural, historical, and political contexts. School development is always relevant, but its aims, conditions and dynamics are always changing, making it an intriguing area of research.