In April 2015, the Swedish Government appointed the Schools Commission that is chaired by Anna Ekström. She is Director General of the Swedish National Agency of Education (Skolverket). School Commission main task is to follow up the recommendations made by OECD’s education policy review that was published in Stockholm in early May. The recommendations of the OECD report focus on three priorities: conditions that promote quality and equity across Swedish schools, a long-term human resource strategy to build capacity for improved teaching and learning, and strengthened policy steering and accountability with a focus on improvement.
“The Government is already investing in many of the measures that the OECD recommends. For instance, the Government has announced a primary school pledge with targeted efforts for the early school years and a long-term strategy to make the teaching profession more attractive by investing in higher teachers’ salaries, an educational research institute and measures to reduce teachers’ administrative burden,” says Gustav Fridolin, Minister for Education.
Other members of the School Commission are:
Lina Axelsson Kihlblom, education director, Haninge municipality
Erik Blom, student
Jan-Eric Gustafsson, professor, University of Göteborg
Johanna Jaara Åstrand, chairperson, Lärarförbundet (teacher union)
Bo Jansson, chairperson, Lärarnas riksförbund (teacher union)
Tobias Krantz, PhD, Uppsala University
Marika Markovits, director, Stockholm stadsmission
Matz Nilsson, chairperson, Swedish School Principals
Pasi Sahlberg, visiting professor, Harvard University
Kerstin Sahlin, professor, Uppsala University
Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, chairperson, City of Malmö
Mara Westling Allodi, professor, University of Stockholm
Björn Åstrand, dean, Karlstad University
Aida Hadzialic, Minister for Upper Secondary School and Adult Education and Training, said: “We welcome the OECD’s report and will now pass it to the schools commission. Partly based on the OECD’s recommendations, the schools commission will submit proposals aimed at improving learning outcomes, teaching and equity in Swedish schools. The commission will present its proposals by January 2017.”
Announcement of the School Commission in Swedish is here.