Continuous Collective Development as a Road to Success in Primary School

Heidi Holmen, Kitt Lyngsnes

Abstract


In most countries today, schools are required to conduct comprehensive testing and assessment. In Norway, national tests in the fifth, eight and ninth grades eavaluate basic skills in reading, numeracy, and English. This article presents a qualitative study of schools that have over time performed well on national tests and for whom results cannot be explained by their socio-economic profile. Interviews were conducted with teachers and administrators in four of these schools. The purpose of this study is to present these schools' own explanations and reflections about why they have performed well on these tests over time. The results show that the following issues emerged as central themes: collective understanding, the importance of school leadership, stability and long-term goals, and focus on reading. These are discussed in the context of theory surrounding schools in development.

Keywords


teaching, school leadership, collective knowledge development

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References


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