The Free Schools “Riddle”: Between traditional social democratic, neo-liberal and multicultural tenets

Author: Bunar, Nihad

Source: Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, Volume 52, Number 4, August 2008 , pp. 423-438(16)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

The question of what role free schools should perform in the Swedish educational system has been a contested subject between three ideological, theoretical, political and policy tenets. The first, “contribution to pedagogical diversity in a controlled school market” reflects a traditional social democratic view. The second, “contribution to a better education on a competitive school market” reflects a neo-liberal approach. The third tenet, “contribution to the maintenance of groups' and individuals' cultural and religious identity” reflects a multicultural view insisting on the thesis that a family's cultural and religious identity should be a steering motive for the school choice. The aim of this article is to take a closer look at what the three tenets that constitute the “riddle” contain—including their claims, responses to critics, arguments and empirical evidence—and to discuss some of their practical impacts on the shaping of educational policy.

Keywords: Free schools; Multiculturalism; Neo-liberalism; Social democracy

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00313830802184608

Affiliations: 1: Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

Publication date: 2008-08-01

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