Conference Program

Across Europe and in many other countries influenced by new public management, governance by follow-up and evaluation has increased in recent years. In a decentralized school system, such as in Sweden, local educational authorities (LEAs) have substantial responsibility for resource allocation and follow-up, while leadership is shared both within the LEA level between local elected politicians and superintendents and with, in some respects, autonomous principals (Jarl et al., 2024). This creates a multi-tiered leadership landscape in which responsibilities for equity, resource distribution, and school development are negotiated across several layers of governance.

The research to be presented examines perceived possibilities and constraints in LEAs’ systematic quality work (SQW), a legally mandated process in the Swedish Education Act. SQW requires LEAs to follow up on previously allocated resources, analyze results, and propose future interventions intended to support school development. The study approaches SQW from an educational equity perspective, drawing on a definition that holds that all pupils, regardless of ability or background, have the right to learning opportunities and to develop within an education system of equal quality (Ainscow, 2020). Equity in education has proved complex to realise in practice, despite its widely shared objective, in Europe and elsewhere (Leithwood, 2021).

The study adopts an understanding of equity grounded in social justice and fairness attentive to individual circumstances (Espinoza, 2007; Sen, 2009). Drawing on the capability approach developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, and refined by Lorella Terzi (2007), equitable funding may justify additional provision when necessary to enable pupils with disabilities and special educational needs to participate fully in society. In democratic systems, governance structures are expected to distribute resources to enable such opportunities for all pupils to achieve and experience well-being (Terzi, 2007; 2025). A central challenge, though, is identifying and following up on relevant, not merely measurable, data that can meaningfully inform policymakers’ decisions about resource allocation and interventions that actually meet students’ needs (Swärd & Ramberg, 2026).

The empirical material consists of aggregated quality reports for compulsory schools and reports on strategic objectives and budget plans from 20 Swedish municipalities. In addition, 29 interviews with local politicians and superintendents were conducted across 18 of these municipalities. The material was analyzed using content analysis (Lyhne et al., 2025), guided by neo-institutional theory and sensemaking theory (Smets et al., 2017; Weick, 2005).

Tentative results indicate that the dynamics of shared, distributed, and multi-tiered leadership at the LEA level constitute a crucial component of SQW at the municipal level. These dynamics shape the practices of principals and teachers and influence the conditions for special educational provision and support for students in need. Preliminary findings also suggest a lack of systematic follow-up on the achievements of students with disabilities and special educational needs, as well as limited evaluation of the impact of earlier provisions. Policy-makers are therefore urged to take further action, and researchers to deepen inquiry in this area, including by promoting greater stakeholder involvement, particularly pupils.