Abstract
Purpose: This article focuses on the development of supplementary education, evolving under the label “homework support,” in Sweden between 2006 and 2018. Particular attention is paid to the significance of the private market for national policy. Design/Approach/Methods: Through a theoretical model on policy enactment, the interaction between national policy and local practice is highlighted. By analyzing how the local practice appears in documents related to state-regulated decision-making, the study gains further insights in the development of homework support in Sweden. Findings: This article argues that when private companies, offering supplementary tutoring, were established on the outskirts of the educational landscape in Sweden, the political educational discourse changed. Even though homework support became a given part of the political discussion about the school, the situation became difficult for private companies. Originality/Value: The article adds to the international field of shadow education. It describes the establishment of the private tutoring market’s entry into the Swedish educational landscape, which in the long term has provided a basis for a further Scandinavian development. Furthermore, the article contributes to theory development by a model that focuses on the interaction between policy formulation and local enactment.
Highlights
Sweden has had an international reputation for having one of the most equitable school systems in the world
This study focuses on the national arena and examines arguments formulated in the national policy on supplementary education in Sweden
When allocation of the tax subsidies was advocated, the same thought styles were activated, but with reference to everyone being entitled to homework support
Summary
Sweden has had an international reputation for having one of the most equitable school systems in the world. In the 1940s, when the political decision on comprehensive primary education was made, an objective was formulated emphasizing school as the main actor in realizing national social goals such as equality of opportunity This objective has largely constituted the point of departure of school policy in Sweden ever since (Telhaug et al, 2006). Particular attention is paid to analyzing the significance the private homework tutoring market has had for the national policy discussion and the political position on supplementary education in the form of homework support. In Sweden, supplementary education—related to the content and organization of public school but conducted outside of it—has in many ways a rather short history It is not a new phenomenon in the Swedish educational landscape, its role has historically been limited and it has not been nationally regulated until recently. We will gain further insight into the development of supplementary education in Sweden
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