Teachers' Perceptions of the Educational Platform-Is There a Connection between School Improvement and Regional Educational Development?

Abstract

This research examined teachers’ attitudes in a school development project, The best regional educational system in the world which focuses on regional development and school improvement. The project was performed in counties in Mid Sweden, which have a lower educational level and school achievements and a competence escape compare with other parts of Sweden. Project schools were compared to references schools concerning staffs perception of the pedagogical platform. This study is based on a web-based survey. The quantitative results show that two of the factors in the survey distinguished themselves with statistical significance; namely, the pedagogical platform was 0.44 (p=0.036) and leadership factor, which was 0.25 (p=0.052) was lower for the project schools. The directed content analysis showed differences regarding awareness of the pedagogical platform concerning understanding vs. ambiguity and specifically targeting vs. general descriptions. The reference schools described an understanding of the school’s overall educational platform and described more clearly the school’s focus. The study points to the importance of teachers are aware of their own school platform to develop leadership and teams, which in turn influences student learning and achievement. If schools in the two counties are to be successful, in terms of students’ school performance and the competitiveness of the region, the pedagogical platform should be made clear to staff and be anchored in the teachers’ team work, probably even more than in other schools.