POLITICS AND ECONOMICS
Education in Sweden
A Comprehensive Examination of the Swedish Education System
Prepared by Kate Griner
Abstract:
The current state of Sweden’s education system has revealed itself as declining. The country has experienced a period of poor standardization testing performance and according to economists the decline in the quality of the education system is among the top concerns for the nation’s economy. In this research paper I will offer an overview of Sweden’s education system, analyze the current state of Sweden’s education system, and cover programs that have been launched in an effort to repair Sweden’s education system.
Education System Overview:
In 2010 Sweden initiated the Swedish Education Act which was passed by the Swedish Parliament, the Education Act is one of Sweden’s most comprehensive laws ("Sweden - Overview | European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education," n.d.). The Education Act affords all citizens of Sweden the guarantee to a high quality education, this guarantee is not exclusive to particular regions of the country but to everyone. The Education Act established by parliament grants the majority of responsibility to reside with the municipalities to dictate how their school will be operated.
Under the Swedish Education Act education goals are created by the national government and parliament in the form of curricula. “Every type of school has its own curriculum. All schools, including municipal, independent and state-run schools, must follow the curriculum for the given type of school.” ("Swedish Education Act," n.d.). The Education Act empowers municipal schools to conduct how they wish to run their schools, the schools administration and staff must work together to decide which direction they wish to run their school.
The schooling structure in Sweden runs from pre-school to compulsory and finishes with upper-secondary education. Students are in the classroom from an age as early as 1 years old for pre-school, “All children are guaranteed a place in a one-year förskoleklass (‘pre-school year’) starting in the fall term of the year they turn six until they start compulsory schooling.” ("Education in Sweden," n.d.). The norm for students in Sweden is the attend the 9 year compulsory schooling and most students choose to attend the follow on upper-secondary education schooling of 2 additional years which is similar to the United States High School.
Current State:
At one point in history Sweden held the title for one of the best education systems in the world. Sweden runs an education system that offers completely free preschool and private education establishments that charge no fees for enrollment. The current state of Sweden’s education system is one that is on the decline, Sweden has experienced year over year declining standardized testing scores. Sweden is part of a multinational standardization testing platform called PISA (Programme for International Students Assessment) assessments. Reference figure 1 below for a chart depicting Sweden's PISA performance.
“Pisa is the modern measure of a nation’s educational success and between 2000 and 2012 Sweden’s Pisa scores dropped more sharply than those of any other participating country, from close to average to significantly below average.” (Weale, 2015). It should be noted that the general morale amongst teachers in Sweden is relatively low and the performance by students is trending in a downward slope. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) the public confidence level in Sweden’s education. Reference figure 2 below for a chart showing the public confidence level in Sweden's education.
Improvement Plans:
Despite the trending poor performance in Sweden’s education system, there have not been any programs or initiatives launched in an effort to improve the poor performance. The majority of the population feel that the bulk of the blame for the poor education system lies in the creation of free school choice, in which parents are empowered to either send their children to municipal or independent schools. “Sweden is now one of the few countries to show both worse results and more inequality. Free school choice is a contributing factor. The system, introduced 20 years ago, allows parents to choose between municipal schools and independent schools, all financed by tax money. The aim was to increase quality by competition, but it has also led to the best students flocking to the same schools.” ("Fixing Sweden’s schools | The Economist," 2013). The Swedish government needs to develop an action plan to address the gaps that exist in the Swedish education system.
References
Education in Sweden. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sweden.se/society/education-in-sweden/
Fixing Sweden’s schools | The Economist. (2013, November 2). Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21588959-swedish-pupils-have-fallen-behind-their-international-peers-fixing-swedens-schools
Jeffreys, B. (2015, July 21). Sweden loses top marks for education - BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/education-33115771
Sanandaji, T. (2014, July 21). Sweden Has an Education Crisis, But It Wasn't Caused by School Choice | National Review Online. Retrieved from http://www.nationalreview.com/agenda/383304/sweden-has-education-crisis-it-wasnt-caused-school-choice-tino-sanandaji
Sweden - Overview | European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.european-agency.org/country-information/sweden/national-overview/complete-national-overview
The Swedish Education Act. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nyiostergotland.nu/engelska/utbildning_1.htm
Weale, S. (2015, June 10). 'It's a political failure': how Sweden's celebrated schools system fell into crisis. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/10/sweden-schools-crisis-political-failure-education
A Comprehensive Examination of the Swedish Education System
Prepared by Kate Griner
Abstract:
The current state of Sweden’s education system has revealed itself as declining. The country has experienced a period of poor standardization testing performance and according to economists the decline in the quality of the education system is among the top concerns for the nation’s economy. In this research paper I will offer an overview of Sweden’s education system, analyze the current state of Sweden’s education system, and cover programs that have been launched in an effort to repair Sweden’s education system.
Education System Overview:
In 2010 Sweden initiated the Swedish Education Act which was passed by the Swedish Parliament, the Education Act is one of Sweden’s most comprehensive laws ("Sweden - Overview | European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education," n.d.). The Education Act affords all citizens of Sweden the guarantee to a high quality education, this guarantee is not exclusive to particular regions of the country but to everyone. The Education Act established by parliament grants the majority of responsibility to reside with the municipalities to dictate how their school will be operated.
Under the Swedish Education Act education goals are created by the national government and parliament in the form of curricula. “Every type of school has its own curriculum. All schools, including municipal, independent and state-run schools, must follow the curriculum for the given type of school.” ("Swedish Education Act," n.d.). The Education Act empowers municipal schools to conduct how they wish to run their schools, the schools administration and staff must work together to decide which direction they wish to run their school.
The schooling structure in Sweden runs from pre-school to compulsory and finishes with upper-secondary education. Students are in the classroom from an age as early as 1 years old for pre-school, “All children are guaranteed a place in a one-year förskoleklass (‘pre-school year’) starting in the fall term of the year they turn six until they start compulsory schooling.” ("Education in Sweden," n.d.). The norm for students in Sweden is the attend the 9 year compulsory schooling and most students choose to attend the follow on upper-secondary education schooling of 2 additional years which is similar to the United States High School.
Current State:
At one point in history Sweden held the title for one of the best education systems in the world. Sweden runs an education system that offers completely free preschool and private education establishments that charge no fees for enrollment. The current state of Sweden’s education system is one that is on the decline, Sweden has experienced year over year declining standardized testing scores. Sweden is part of a multinational standardization testing platform called PISA (Programme for International Students Assessment) assessments. Reference figure 1 below for a chart depicting Sweden's PISA performance.
“Pisa is the modern measure of a nation’s educational success and between 2000 and 2012 Sweden’s Pisa scores dropped more sharply than those of any other participating country, from close to average to significantly below average.” (Weale, 2015). It should be noted that the general morale amongst teachers in Sweden is relatively low and the performance by students is trending in a downward slope. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) the public confidence level in Sweden’s education. Reference figure 2 below for a chart showing the public confidence level in Sweden's education.
Improvement Plans:
Despite the trending poor performance in Sweden’s education system, there have not been any programs or initiatives launched in an effort to improve the poor performance. The majority of the population feel that the bulk of the blame for the poor education system lies in the creation of free school choice, in which parents are empowered to either send their children to municipal or independent schools. “Sweden is now one of the few countries to show both worse results and more inequality. Free school choice is a contributing factor. The system, introduced 20 years ago, allows parents to choose between municipal schools and independent schools, all financed by tax money. The aim was to increase quality by competition, but it has also led to the best students flocking to the same schools.” ("Fixing Sweden’s schools | The Economist," 2013). The Swedish government needs to develop an action plan to address the gaps that exist in the Swedish education system.
References
Education in Sweden. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sweden.se/society/education-in-sweden/
Fixing Sweden’s schools | The Economist. (2013, November 2). Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21588959-swedish-pupils-have-fallen-behind-their-international-peers-fixing-swedens-schools
Jeffreys, B. (2015, July 21). Sweden loses top marks for education - BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/education-33115771
Sanandaji, T. (2014, July 21). Sweden Has an Education Crisis, But It Wasn't Caused by School Choice | National Review Online. Retrieved from http://www.nationalreview.com/agenda/383304/sweden-has-education-crisis-it-wasnt-caused-school-choice-tino-sanandaji
Sweden - Overview | European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.european-agency.org/country-information/sweden/national-overview/complete-national-overview
The Swedish Education Act. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nyiostergotland.nu/engelska/utbildning_1.htm
Weale, S. (2015, June 10). 'It's a political failure': how Sweden's celebrated schools system fell into crisis. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/10/sweden-schools-crisis-political-failure-education
Figure 1: Sweden's PISA Performance year over year
Figure 2: Sweden's population public confidence level
What will be produced with your country’s resources?
The major resources that Sweden produces include copper, gold, hydropower, iron ore, lead, silver, timber, uranium, and zinc. Of this list the resources that make up the majority of industrial output are timber and iron ore. The timber industry is the second most important market in Sweden, this is easily understood because the country is nearly 70% forest. Sweden’s timber market competes only with the timber market of Canada for the global leader of timber export, and Sweden is the global leader in exportation of cellulose.
Sweden’s prominent export market is in minerals, more specifically iron ore. The mining industry in Sweden is very important to the country’s economy, and according to www.encyclopedia.com it is one of the most active mining countries in Europe. The iron ore that is mined in Sweden is used to create extremely high quality steel that is used to manufacture products across the globe!
How will these goods be produced?
The goods that are produced using Sweden’s major resources are used in the manufacturing markets of the world. For example the timber that is exported from Sweden could be used to make furniture in the United States.
Who will use these goods?
Because the resources that are produced in Sweden are exported to other countries and then used to manufacture goods for consumers, the consumers of the world will use the goods produced.
Will these goods be exported?
The resources that are harvested/mined in Sweden are exported to countries across the globe, once the resources are used to create consumer goods the manufacture of said goods could then choose to export. For example the furniture that was created in the United States using Sweden’s exported Timber could be exported to China.
Write a brief summary of the economic system of the country: Identify and explain the type of economic system.
Sweden has created an export oriented economic system supported by its timber and iron ore resources. The overall state of Sweden’s economy can be summarized in one word, healthy. In fact Sweden has one of the European Union’s lowest national debit and a bustling banking system (2013, October 13). The influence behind the healthy state of Sweden’s economy stems back to an initiative launched by their government in the early 1990’s. In that time Swedish government introduced a “dual income tax” system which basically created an integration of flat tax with income tax. The population of Sweden reacted to this system in a very positive light and according to The Economist capital income soared. In more recent times Sweden has decided to cut taxes on labor, more so for the lower skilled workers, in an Earned Income Tax Credit. Overall the economic system of the country of Sweden is export driven and very healthy.
Sources:
How Sweden created a model economy | sweden.se. (2013, October 13). Retrieved from https://sweden.se/business/how-sweden-created-a-model-economy/
Select three key economic indicators such as poverty rates, labor distribution, use of resources, etc. and analyze what this information says about the country, how it compares to other countries, change over time, etc.
Labor force (by occupation):
agriculture: 2%
industry: 12%
services: 86% (2014 estimate)
Population below the poverty line:
14% (2011 estimate)
Industrial production growth rate:
2.7% (2014 estimate)
After analyzing the above information (obtained from the Central Intelligence Agency) the story that the numbers tell is that Sweden has a labor force that works predominantly in the services industry. Further analysis indicates that Sweden does not have a strong agriculture industry and by default must rely extensively on importing agricultural products. Sweden also has a relatively low population of citizens that live below the poverty line, this shows that the economic state of Sweden is healthy.
Source:
The World Factbook. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sw.html
Identify the GDP - per capita for the country.
The estimated 2014 GDP – per capita for Sweden is $448.2 billion U.S. dollars.
Source:
The World Factbook. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sw.html
The major resources that Sweden produces include copper, gold, hydropower, iron ore, lead, silver, timber, uranium, and zinc. Of this list the resources that make up the majority of industrial output are timber and iron ore. The timber industry is the second most important market in Sweden, this is easily understood because the country is nearly 70% forest. Sweden’s timber market competes only with the timber market of Canada for the global leader of timber export, and Sweden is the global leader in exportation of cellulose.
Sweden’s prominent export market is in minerals, more specifically iron ore. The mining industry in Sweden is very important to the country’s economy, and according to www.encyclopedia.com it is one of the most active mining countries in Europe. The iron ore that is mined in Sweden is used to create extremely high quality steel that is used to manufacture products across the globe!
How will these goods be produced?
The goods that are produced using Sweden’s major resources are used in the manufacturing markets of the world. For example the timber that is exported from Sweden could be used to make furniture in the United States.
Who will use these goods?
Because the resources that are produced in Sweden are exported to other countries and then used to manufacture goods for consumers, the consumers of the world will use the goods produced.
Will these goods be exported?
The resources that are harvested/mined in Sweden are exported to countries across the globe, once the resources are used to create consumer goods the manufacture of said goods could then choose to export. For example the furniture that was created in the United States using Sweden’s exported Timber could be exported to China.
Write a brief summary of the economic system of the country: Identify and explain the type of economic system.
Sweden has created an export oriented economic system supported by its timber and iron ore resources. The overall state of Sweden’s economy can be summarized in one word, healthy. In fact Sweden has one of the European Union’s lowest national debit and a bustling banking system (2013, October 13). The influence behind the healthy state of Sweden’s economy stems back to an initiative launched by their government in the early 1990’s. In that time Swedish government introduced a “dual income tax” system which basically created an integration of flat tax with income tax. The population of Sweden reacted to this system in a very positive light and according to The Economist capital income soared. In more recent times Sweden has decided to cut taxes on labor, more so for the lower skilled workers, in an Earned Income Tax Credit. Overall the economic system of the country of Sweden is export driven and very healthy.
Sources:
How Sweden created a model economy | sweden.se. (2013, October 13). Retrieved from https://sweden.se/business/how-sweden-created-a-model-economy/
Select three key economic indicators such as poverty rates, labor distribution, use of resources, etc. and analyze what this information says about the country, how it compares to other countries, change over time, etc.
Labor force (by occupation):
agriculture: 2%
industry: 12%
services: 86% (2014 estimate)
Population below the poverty line:
14% (2011 estimate)
Industrial production growth rate:
2.7% (2014 estimate)
After analyzing the above information (obtained from the Central Intelligence Agency) the story that the numbers tell is that Sweden has a labor force that works predominantly in the services industry. Further analysis indicates that Sweden does not have a strong agriculture industry and by default must rely extensively on importing agricultural products. Sweden also has a relatively low population of citizens that live below the poverty line, this shows that the economic state of Sweden is healthy.
Source:
The World Factbook. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sw.html
Identify the GDP - per capita for the country.
The estimated 2014 GDP – per capita for Sweden is $448.2 billion U.S. dollars.
Source:
The World Factbook. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sw.html