Traditionally, the Nordic model shares socially democratic ideals and trust-based ideologies, focusing on a redistributive welfare economy supported by tax-financed institutions to provide citizens with a satisfactory quality of life. However, the impact of neoliberal ideas has raised questions about whether the educational system in the Nordic countries still adheres to this model. Many experts consider educational institutions an integral part of the welfare state, with citizens having high expectations for educational inclusion. Inclusion can be seen as the opposite of exclusion, and many theories explain the concept of educational inclusiveness. From our perspective, educational organizations continually create inclusion and exclusion at different levels of the organization. To prevent exclusion and marginalization, Nordic schools maintain strong links to other welfare state services in society. However, achieving the goals of equity and inclusion within the educational system is challenging due to complex organizational processes, leading to a persistent gap in school performance based on social background.

This research group focuses on how organizations try to create equity in education, how different mechanisms in the organizational environment, as well as in the continually ongoing organizing of education, create inclusion and exclusion in various forms. We focus on how aspects of the institutional environment, such as place, community, and rurality, challenge the Nordic model of Equity and influence the risk of marginalization.

Among other things, we study economic, political, and institutional framework conditions for children and upbringing in the project Nordic Unequal Childhood. The project also aims to make a bridge between children´s life world and the system world, with survey data and in-depth interviews in high and low-SES school areas.

We also study the transitions from School to work in Vocational Education. More than half of high school students opt for vocational education. Yet, Norway will need more skilled workers in the near future. This is compounded by the fact that dropout rates in vocational education are closely tied to parents' educational backgrounds. For example, boys whose parents only completed primary education have less than a 30% chance of completing their training on time. This trend is also observed among minority youth. In addition to socio-economic status, gender, and ethnicity, inclusion in vocational education is influenced by region-specific factors such as education levels, unemployment, company structure, and urban or rural location. Vocational education and training must consider such area-specific factors, as well as international and national regulatory institutions such as the economy, labor market, and politics. The local VET system is a complex organizational unit that includes schools, training centers, companies, and all the functions in between. Due to regional differences in completion rates, VET systems must likely navigate different environmental pressures and organize themselves uniquely. Our research is focused on the transitions between school and apprenticeship, as well as apprenticeship and employment. Together with a county municipality, our project aims to conduct case studies on how VET systems promote inclusion and combat marginalization in education and careers.

Moreover, we have a combined research and school-development project with two rural schools where we investigate children’s and young peoples’ upbringing conditions, experiences of school and the educational system, leisure activities, and wellbeing.

If you are interested in the same research field as us, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Projects

• Childhood, School and Inequality in the Nordic Countries (Unequal Childhood)
• Fra skole til jobb (information only in Norwegian)
• Oppvekst i bygder
• Rural Education and Work
• Nordic Unequal Childhood
• Ung og voksen i Samfunnet (information only in Norwegian)