One of FIKS’ key tasks is to establish sustainable partnerships with schools. The literature on university-school partnerships is vast; however, most university-school partnerships share a fundamental aim to connect epistemic communities in ways that promote equality, collaboration, and development (see, for instance, Allen et al., 2017; Jones et al., 2016; Lemon et al., 2018). A further common characteristic of such partnerships is the ideal of establishing third spaces where participants from higher education and schools can jointly create new knowledge (see Daza et al., 2021; Jackson & Burch, 2019; Lejonberg et al., 2017; Lillejord & Børte, 2016 Martin, et al., 2011; Williams, 2013, 2014; Zeichner, 2010).
Several university-school partnerships worldwide are specifically concerned with promoting evidence-based teaching in schools through research partnerships (see, for instance, Cynthia Coburn’s publications). Literature on such partnerships especially originate from the increasingly school-based teacher education in Anglo-American contexts. The Norwegian education system, however, provides an interesting case of the opposite direction: The current trend in the national steering of Norwegian education is a movement towards stronger academisation (see, for instance, the Expert Groups’ Report on the Teacher Role; Mausethagen & Granlund, 2012). From 2017, teacher education for Grades 1-7, 5-10, and 8-13 are all five-year integrated master’s programs.
Furthermore, a political strategy in the Norwegian context has been to increase the overall qualifications of the teaching profession through strengthened government support for continuing education and professional development (e.g., Norwegian Ministry of Education, 2017). FIKS’ work with DeKomp is concerned with this increased attention to continuing education through competence development in schools. An important ideal for FIKS’s work is the aim that professional groups within schools should initiate projects based on local needs for competence development.
Examples similar to FIKS’ work with DeKomp
Schools as Learning Organisations in Wales: In 2017, the Welsh Government launched the Schools as Learning Organisations (SLO) approach to support schools to prepare for the new curriculum in 2022. Pointing towards Norway and Singapore as examples, the Welsh Government formulated the objective that all schools should develop as ‘learning organizations’ (Welsh Government, 2017). The approach is mainly concerned with the four ‘purposes’ of the new curriculum that call for developing children and young people into ambitious, capable and lifelong learners, enterprising and creative informed citizens and healthy and confident individuals.
The ULF agreement in Sweden: ULF is a national pilot project that aims to develop and test sustainable collaboration models between academia and the Swedish school system regarding research, school activities, and teacher education. ULF is concerned with establishing research environments where researchers and teachers jointly conduct development and/or research projects. The pilot project makes use of what is called combined positions, where teachers with master’s degrees and school leaders can conduct both research and teaching. The ULF project also aims at establishing collaboration models with teacher education, for instance, by linking students’ master’s degree projects with practical research and school development projects.
The Oxford Education Deanery: The Deanery is a partnership between the University of Oxford and local schools. The unit aims to improve school outcomes by supporting teachers’ professional learning by giving local teachers access to research, supporting them in conducting their own research, and engaging in joint projects. The Oxford Education Deanery facilitates the continuing professional development of teachers at all career stages in local schools through supporting their engagement in and with research. Research is organized into a number of themes, such as, assessment and feedback, learner engagement and motivation, and specific classroom strategies. The Deanery aims at establishing different research projects, for instance, through action research fellowships or research projects conducted by academic researchers working in collaboration with partner schools, shaped by schools’ concerns and supported by members referred to as ‘Research Champions’.
Like these initiatives, FIKS works to establish long-term, sustainable collaboration models for professional development in schools. DeKomp represents an attempt towards leading from the local level, encouraging locally based competence development with national funding. In contrast to ULF and the Deanery, however, FIKS is not primarily concerned with establishing or promoting research projects between practitioners and researchers. In contrast to the Schools as Learning Organisations in Wales, FIKS emphasizes collaboration between higher education-communities and schools as a critical ingredient for competence development.