The lack lustre performance of Swedish compulsory schoolsover the past few decades does not need to define its future.As this report will show, the main challenges facing the Swedisheducation system do not stem from a lack of resources.The effective implementation of research based innovationsand improvements in organization could tackle many of thesystemic weaknesses in the education system, thereby ensuringa brighter future. By addressing existing difficulties in theteaching and delivery of the curriculum and ensuring pupilswho are at risk are able to flourish, learning outcomes will beimproved. This, in turn, will reduce inequality, thereby improvingthe life-opportunities of young people and maintaining thehigh standard of living enjoyed in Sweden.

This article is about education, school leadership and citizenship and highlights preschool teachers and teachers' perception of their educational leadership with the starting point taken in schools and preschools’ written policy, curriculum, school legislation, grading system and other policy documents aimed at teachers and preschool teachers. More precisely the aim is to show, analyse and discuss their perception of their ability to develop the skills young people need to obtain their learning goals. The result clearly shows that the matter of how newly-arrived children and young people in Sweden best can be integrated into our society is a real key issue for Swedish schools and preschools and also for the future of Sweden as a whole.

School leadership has become a priority in education policy globally. Leadership is important for school andpreschool performance because it affects teachers' motivation and capacity as well as their working environment.The purpose of this article is, through interviews with head teachers and preschool directors in northern Sweden, tomake visible school leaders’ understanding of the work that takes place in schools and preschools and how thataffects children's and students' conditions and opportunities to learn and develop. The results of the study show thatschool leaders are aware of the value of their educational leadership and the importance of collegial learning, butthere are other barriers that prevent the realisation of the ambitions decided at high level.

In this article, we contribute to theory by integrating literature on citizenship and entrepreneurship, based on which we develop a framework for how personal development is achieved for young people in the context of open leisure activities. The empirical material in this study consists of survey data collected in Swedish open leisure centers. A questionnaire was distributed to 265 publicly funded leisure centers all over Sweden. The material was analyzed in an exploratory study involving factor analysis using hierarchical regression in four steps. When reviewing the results, it is clear that citizenship and entrepreneurship both contribute to personal development at open leisure centers in Sweden. To conclude, this exploratory study provides evidence that concepts from citizenship and entrepreneurship theory can help in understanding the personal development of young people in publicly run leisure settings.

This article is about school development, based on empirical data taken from Sweden's northernmost county, Norrbotten, situated in the Barents region of northern Europe. The survey includes all of the county's 13 municipalities. The aim of this article is to illustrate school leaders' views of school development in the organisation and municipality where they work. We chose a quantitative study as the method for obtaining answers to our questions. A questionnaire relating to leadership and school development was sent to 170 addressees. The statements in the questionnaire were put to respondents on the basis of previous research results that showed the importance of collective learning, leadership and the organisation of educational activities. The results from the survey show overwhelmingly positive answers from the respondents; they usually agree completely or partially with the statements. The result shows, for example, that there is a developed vision, there is consensus within the organisation, lessons learned in activities are documented, and teachers/educationists are encouraged to talk to each other about the structure of their teaching. The result is a picture of awareness on the part of the respondents of the importance of school leadership for children and young people's development into citizens. The mainly positive answers that the respondents have submitted, however, mean that there is a gap between what is actually implemented in activities and the respondents' own views. In order to verify the results, the study needs to be continued in more detail through interviews with a number of the respondents and take into account teachers' opinions regarding school development and leadership.

The purpose of my research is to make visible, highlight and illuminate preschool teachers’ perception of what abilities they perceive children have possibilities to develop during their stay at preschools. Theories of citizenship are used as a theoretical framework. The research was conducted by using a questionnaire that was sent out to 13 local municipalities in the region of Norrbotten in the north of Sweden. Five in-depth interviews were also held. The results from the questionnaire showed an overall positive response from the respondents to almost all of the statements presented in the questionnaire. The positive responses that the preschool teachers and other staff gave to most of the statements in the questionnaire will be an important platform of knowledge for the development of active citizenship, although these positive responses still need to be critically analyzed and further investigated. The results from the in-depth interviews gave, in some parts, the same results as the questionnaire did. However, in the interviews, some critical aspects were highlighted such as: preschool teachers’ lacking time for the pedagogical mission stated in the curriculum; larger groups of children enrolled in the preschools can develop stress among children; and, finally, difficulties to get replacement staff to some preschools, which can be perceived as stressful by ordinary staff. Based on the research results, it is argued that children enrolled in Swedish preschools have the possibilities to develop as active citizens, and consequently develop active citizenship. However, a critical factor is the tendencies of the amount of larger groups of enrolled children in preschools, which, in turn, can delay the possibilities for the children to negotiate their citizenship on a daily basis.

The purpose of this article is to shed some light on and give some examples of how the Swedish schools have interpreted their mission of educating young people and preparing them for the role of active citizens. More specifically, we are interested in how the “good” or “aspirational” school is presented in the reports published by the Swedish Schools Inspectorate. Our departure point will be the inspection work conducted by the Swedish Schools Inspectorate between 2009 and 2012. The selection of data is based on our wish to highlight supervisory reports, quality audit reports and targeted inspection reports. Another selection principle has been that not only municipal schools, but also independent schools, had to be represented among the analysed documents. Five of the reports are quality audit reports, two are the result of targeted inspections, and finally we have analysed one supervisory report. The results indicate that the aim of improving the pupils’ knowledge results is a high priority for the Inspectorate, as is the goal to ensure all children and pupils’ equal rights to a good education in a safe and stimulating environment, and to develop their civic skills. The analysed reports show that the inspections have revealed inadequate fulfilment of all these goals. Whether school inspections can functionally contribute to fulfilling the goal of educational equality, improving the knowledge of Swedish pupils and helping them develop into good citizens is debatable. On the one hand, the auditing function in itself constitutes a threat to the school operations developing a sense of judgement that would allow for reflections beyond the concept of effectiveness, and on the other hand the audits may, paradoxically enough, liberate the strength to question the discursive dominance of the Swedish Schools Inspectorate, shaped by systemic world logic, and thereby achieve an independent development.

The purpose of this article is to describe, explore and discuss whether meeting places for youth such as youth clubs support their citizenship in terms of gender equality, influence and participation. The following questions were of interest; what is the overall aim of the local councils regarding these clubs and meeting places? What kind of activities do they offer and what kind of citizenship do they support? The result shows that these places are more attractive to boys than to girls. Furthermore, these meeting places can, if developed, be places for the development of youth citizenship from the perspective of integration, gender equality and participation.

The purpose of this article is to describe, explore and discuss whether meeting places for youth such as youth clubs support their citizenship in terms of gender equality, influence and participation. The following questions were of interest; what is the overall aim of the local councils regarding these clubs and meeting places? What kind of activities do they offer and what kind of citizenship do they support? The result shows that these places are more attractive to boys than to girls. Furthermore, these meeting places can, if developed, be places for the development of youth citizenship from the perspective of integration, gender equality and participation.