Abstract
Principals in Nordic countries face increasing and changing demands in their work that have transformed the expectations of their knowledge and skills. This transformation has focused on the need for high-quality preparation programmes and continuous professional development opportunities for principals. In this chapter, we investigate and compare principal preparation and professional development in the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. We reflect on the variation in professional development opportunities across the Nordic countries and discuss how professional development for novice and in-post school principals might be organised in the future. A cross-case study is applied, making use of document analysis to find, select, appraise and synthesise data and policy documents, legislation and current research. A range of similarities and differences between the Nordic countries that concern both formal expectations, required education for becoming a principal and possibilities for continuous professional development were identified. With many governing levels and a changing society, it seems that professional development is historically and nationally situated rather than being a strategic incitement to use, keep and build competence. Preparation and continuous development for principals in the Nordic countries vary both between and within countries. This is a concern for principals, as well as the national and local authorities responsible for their preparation and continuous professional development.
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Notes
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The acronym stands for Utveckling, Lärande, Forskning (Development, Learning, Research). Read more on https://ulfavtal.se/
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Sigurðardóttir, S.M., Skedsmo, G., Ärlestig, H. (2023). Principals’ Preparation and Professional Development in Nordic Countries. In: Gunnulfsen, A.E., Ärlestig, H., Storgaard, M. (eds) Education and Democracy in the Nordic Countries. Educational Governance Research, vol 21. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33195-4_10
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