The Swedish teacher certification reform as an organizational issue – strategic responses and professional consequences

Abstract

The Swedish teacher certification reform can be seen as a professional reform introduced to enhance the status and knowledge level of the teaching profession. However, a high degree of autonomy is granted to local schools when it comes to organizing and preparing for the reform. The article identifies different strategic responses of schools and discusses their professional consequences. Strategic responses include, for example, organizational selection and prioritization between certified and non-certified teachers, unwanted re-organization of schools and emergency solutions. It is argued that such responses imply a stronger division between certified and non-certified teachers as well as a clash between formalized competence and ideals relating to professional practice.