This book analyses local school district governance in a comparative, cross-cultural perspective based on national studies of local school boards in the Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The overarching research question explored by the national studies contained in this volume is: How are transnational influences of standardization and accountability, alongside national policies, transformed into local policy cultures by the school boards? In all the Nordic countries, the municipalities are equivalent with the school district level, and municipalities, as such, play a role as the interface between state policies and the schools. This book discusses the variation across different national systems in the Nordic countries in the degree of decentralism, as well as the processes through which sources of political autonomy are put into practice by school boards. It explores the interplay between context and policy-making at the local level, and analyses how local discourses expressed by school boards differ from national policies and trans-national influences. The books analysis of the country-cases and thematic chapters shows that there are both important similarities and significant differences in governance functions, power relations and understandings of school board chairs and members between the countries studied. Moreover, the book analyses the many ways in which these similarities and differences affect the work context of school leaders and teachers in the Nordic countries.

1. Comparing Nordic Educational Governance;Lejf Moos and Jan Merok Paulsen.-Part 1: Country Reports.- 2. School Boards in Denmark;Lejf Moos, Klaus Kasper Kofod and Ulf Brinkkjær.- 3. School Boards in Finland;Mika Risku, Pekka Kanervio and Seppo Pulkinen.- 4. School Boards in Norway;Jan Merok Paulsen and Mona Strand.- 5. School Boards in Sweden;Olof Johansson, Elisabet Nihlfors and Linda Jervik Steen.-Part 2: Thematic Chapters.- 6. Educational Governance: Politics, Administration and Professionalism;Lejf Moos (Denmark), Jan Merok Paulsen (Norway), Elisabet Nihlfors (Sweden), Pekka Kanervio and Seppo Pulkinen (Finland).- 7. Control and Trust in Local School Governance;Hans Christian Höyer and Jan Merok Paulsen (Norway), Elisabet Nihlfors (Sweden), Klaus Kasper Kofod (Denmark), Pekka Kanervio and Seppo Pulkinen (Finland).- 8. The School Boards between Power and Influence;Kasper Kofod (Denmark), Jan Merok Paulsen (Norway), Olof Johansson (Sweden), Pekka Kanervio and Seppo Pulkkinen (Finland).- 9. Role and Influence of School Boards on improving Educational Quality;Elisabet Nihlfors (Sweden), Guri Skedsmo and Jan Merok Paulsen (Norway), Lejf Moos (Denmark), Pekka Kanervio and Seppo Pulkinen (Finland).- 10. Multi Level Governance;Jan Merok Paulsen and Mona Strand (Norway), Elisabet Nihlfors (Sverige), Ulf Brinkkjær (Denmark), Pekka Kanervio, Seppo Pulkkinen (Finland).- 11. Globalisation, Europeanisation of Nordic Governance;Jan Merok Paulsen and Lejf Moos.- Author Biographies.