NAFOL was established in 2010 after a successful application by 24 teacher education institutions to the Norwegian Research Council for funding. The initial plan was to accept four cohorts, with a planned closing date for the project in 2016. Worrying about not having enough candidates in the beginning, each network institution had to promise a specific number of students, however, this soon became unnecessary. NAFOL had more applicants than the planned cohorts of 20-25 students.

The research school was evaluated by external evaluators in 2013, and in 2015 NAFOL was asked by the Research Council to initiate a thorough self-evaluation. We employed an external evaluator to collect data from the network institutions and the NAFOL students, the leadership, and the administration, and NAFOL submitted an extensive self-evaluation report to the Research Council in autumn 2015. Based on the evaluations, and probably the reputation NAFOL had developed in the teacher education community in Norway further funding was provided without NAFOL applying for it. The introduction of teacher education at a master level required research competent teacher educators who could supervise student teachers’ master theses illuminated the need for teacher educators holding a Ph.D. The NAFOL project was extended till 2022 (6 months added because of the Covid-19), when 10 cohorts will have graduated. The Research Council commissioned a summative evaluation of NAFOL from NIFU which was published in 2021: Evaluering av Nasjonal forskerskole for lærerutdanning (NAFOL): Aktivitet og kvalitet | NIFU.

Based on the report it seems as if NAFOL has achieved its goals and made a mark on Norwegian teacher education research

Professor Anna-Lena Østern was the first Head of NAFOL, with good support by the administration, Torill Ryghaug and Monika Nyhagen. Professor Kari Smith was the first Head of Board. In 2015 Kari Smith took over as the Head of NAFOL, and Anna Synnøve Hovstein, Monika Nyhagen and later, Perlaug Marie Kveen  work in the administration. In 2015 Professor Thomas Moser became the Head of the Board.

Structure of NAFOL

NAFOL was established as a national research school in teacher education in 2010. The majority of Norway’s teacher education institutions joined the network, and no institutions have left. However, due to the significant merging process of higher education institutions (HEI), today NAFOL’s network consists of 17 HEIs.

NAFOL is led by a professor appointed by the Board. Members of the Board represent the academy, representative from the users of teacher education (teacher union) and two doctoral students. Each network institution is represented at the NAFOL Council which meets once a year. The school employs two people in administrative positions and a part time webmaster.

NAFOL’s doctoral students are teacher educators who hold a research fellow appointment in one of the network institutions or by the local school authorities having been granted a four-year fellowship with 25% teaching responsibilities. The majority work in pre-service teacher education programs from pre-school to upper secondary programs, and they have cross disciplinary backgrounds.

NAFOL offers each cohort (20-25 doctoral students) four two-three days seminars per year, ending up to 16 seminars during the NAFOL period. Two of these seminars are joint events with research schools in a Nordic or European country with the intention that doctoral students should establish international networks and be socialised into the international academic community. The NAFOL seminars include lectures related to four integrated courses, feedback sessions, cultural and social events.