About the project
My study forms part of the ChangeLead-project (norwegian website). In ChangeLead, school leaders and researchers form partnerships to explore leadership practices linked to the Norwegian «Subject Renewal» curriculum reform, which was introduced in 2020. The empirical setting of my study is a series of workshops, called “Change Laboratories”. The following questions form points of departure for my inquiries:
- What ideas and expectations about school-university partnerships are expressed in Norwegian policy documents, and how is partnership legitimised as a strategy in school reform work?
- What characterises the purpose and focus when school leaders and researchers collaborate in Change Laboratories, and how does this change over time?
- How do the participants in the partnership reflect on the project and the processes in the Change Laboratory workshops?
Objectives
In the present school reform policy context, school leaders are regarded as key agents in realising reform initiatives. Furthermore, governments promote partnerships between schools and higher education institutions for mutual learning and support. In the ChangeLead project, the leadership teams of three Norwegian upper secondary schools collaborate with researchers from the University of Oslo from 2021 to 2024.
The analytical framework of my study comprises cultural historical activity theory, theories of institutional work, and theories of the translation of ideas to practice. My study employs a qualitative design, in which I analyse policy documents, video- and interview data, and collect artifacts used in leading the reform work in the participating schools.
Financing
The study is financed Research Council of Norway.