Umeå University's logo

This study is part of a Swedish project "Structure, Culture, Leadership – prerequisites for successful schools?" The study presents a tool for the analysis of school outcomes. How can social and civic objectives be measured and what differences between schools can be found when it comes to achieving these objectives? The aim is to assess the pupils' development through a questionnaire based on the curriculum in areas like: democratic values, communication, respect for human differences, self-consciousness, responsibility, critical evaluation, creativity. The study is conducted among 2128 pupils in 24 secondary schools in 12 municipalities. Results show that it is possible to develop an instrument based on the Swedish steering documents. It's also obvious that school differences can be assessed with the Social and Civic Objectives Scale (SCOS) Using the SCOS instrument helps us to broaden the definition of a "successful school" by incorporating academic as well as social and civic objectives.

This article focuses on principals and their leadership and this is related to perceived level of bullying among the students. Eight schools were chosen in this study, the four schools with the lowest amount and the four schools with the highest amount of students that perceived that bullying occurred at their school. At these schools interviews made with the principals where analysed. One specific question where analysed where the principals answered if they had any bullying at their school. The conclusion is that schools that seem to have a high level of bullying have principals that give two types of responses, one that mitigates the problem by responding that the level of bullying is at a “normal” level or just like “any other school”. The second response is a one of denial where the principals responds with a “no problem”-response that indicates that it does not occur bullying at their school. The schools that have a low level of bullying on the other hand have principals that acknowledge that it occurs. Schools that have a high level of bullying have principals that do not acknowledge that. On schools with a low level of bullying the principals perceives the level of bullying as problem and acknowledge its existence.

In the Swedish school law and curriculum it is stated that students shall be participative in their work. They should work in a participative manner and the pedagogical idea is that influence and participation has multiple benefits for the students’ development. In this article the relationship between student participation and school success is examined. By using a theoretically based participation index eight schools were chosen to be closer examined. Success was measured by the schools grades and the level of perceived bullying among the students. Student participation seems to have beneficial effects on the students’ academic and social development. In schools that have higher level of student participation the grades were higher and the level of perceived bullying among the students was lower than schools with a lower level of participation.