Can Sweden really teach British schools a lesson

BBC News - Newsnight - Can Sweden really teach British schools a lesson?: "The Conservatives also state in their report that since the Swedish system was changed 'standards have risen across all state schools'.

But that is not what Per Thulberg, Director General of the Swedish National Agency for Education, the man who runs Sweden's schools, told me:

'This competition between schools that was one of the reasons for introducing the new schools, has not led to better results,' he said.

'The lesson is that it's not easy to find a way to continue school improvement.'

It was noticed a few years ago that standards across all schools were slipping.

Perplexed, the Swedes carried out international comparative studies, as well as detailed national research, which confirmed the decline.
It is not understood why, but the slide began at around the time the schools were introduced.

'The students in the new schools they have in general better standards, but it has to do with their parents, their backgrounds. They come from well-educated families,' Mr Thulberg said.

So, not only are standards generally down, there are strong indications that the new schools have increased social segregat"

It is interesting to find quotations from the Director General, Per Thulberg, of the Agency where I work. I have not heard him be so explicit about the fact that the introduction of so called free schools seems to coincide with the slipping of standards in the whole system, but then again I don´t meet him every day. It is also interesting to note that Liz MacKean has found that "there are strong indications that the new schools have increased social segregation".