This article compares the development of primary education in Ireland and Norway, from its establishment in the nineteenth century until present time. The aim of the article is to discuss how and to ...what degree nation-state formation after independence in Ireland (1922) and Norway (1905) created fundamental and persistent structures for the development of primary schooling, as well as the role that religion and nation-building played in this. Previous research on the development of Irish and Norwegian schooling and official documents and reports makes up the research material. The article demonstrates that, despite institutional secularisation around the world from the nineteenth century onwards, religious and national peculiarities in the establishment of primary education in Ireland and Norway continue to characterise, and to some extent explain, the differences in Irish and Norwegian education today.
This article traces the Faroese path to a comprehensive education system, following the winding road from Norwegian heritage to Danish rule and an increasing degree of autonomy. The main research ...question explores the extent to which the Faroese themselves have determined the development of their education system, and the extent to which Norwegian and most of all Danish influences have been crucial in this process. Previous research on the development of Faroese education is insufficient and few secondary sources are available. Therefore, this article is largely based on primary sources, such as legislation, curricula, circulars, official reports and interviews. The analysis shows that changes in governance structures and economic conditions are determinant factors that have had impact on the extent to which the Faroese have been responsible for their own educational development. Strong economic growth in recent years has allowed the Faroe Islands to adopt what is considered to be “global education” and “international standards.”
It has been a key goal to achieve equity in education in Australia and Norway over the last 50 years. This article offers a historical case-oriented comparative analysis of the promotion of equity in ...education in these 2 countries. While equity in education is primarily understood as students' learning outcomes in national and international tests, such as the OECD's PISA studies, the analysis in this article is based on Espinoza's distinction between equality and equity, which allows for a more complex understanding. The article investigates striking differences in how the governments in Australia and Norway have attempted to enhance equity through education, and discusses factors that may have impeded this process.
The children's parade, the use of national flags and school banners are key features in the celebration of Norwegian Constitution Day. This article provides a historical analysis of the origin of the ...school banner and its emergence and development into a living and popular tradition from the late-nineteenth century. This article shows how the emergence of the school banner connects to the establishment of compulsory schooling and the school as an active site for nation building in the Norwegian struggle for independence. Today, the school banner has transformed to promote the schools' identity and self-representation. The article adds new insight into the history of schooling in Norway and offers an additional perspective to the research on national symbols.
Between World War II and the end of the millennium two major educational reform periods are identified in Norway: reform period I in the 1950s and 1960s and reform period II in the 1990s. The Labour ...Party led both reforms. While the educational reforms in the 1950s and 1960s undoubtedly were part of an overall Nordic social-democratic project, the reforms in the 1990s took place at a time when traditional social-democratic values were under pressure in a world with a global economy. The main question in this paper is to what extent the Norwegian educational reforms in the 1990s followed social-democratic ideas. To what extent were the educational reforms in the 1990s a continuation or a break from the educational reforms in "the golden age" of the social-democratic projects in the 1950s and 1960s? The question will be approached within a personal angle, comparing the educational philosophy of Helge Sivertsen and Gudmund Hernes as the leading educational politicians for reform periods I and II, respectively. (Contains 4 notes.)
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