Processes of reforming: The case of the Norwegian state school inspection policy frameworks

Abstract

State school inspection in Norway has undergone multiple reform initiatives from the state level, a system predominantly aimed at controlling legal compliance of school districts and individual schools. Rather than focusing on policy reform, this paper draws attention to how enactment of state inspection policy has taken place through institutional and dynamic processes of reforming, within and across hierarchical levels in organisations. Theoretically, the study applies an institutional understanding of the actor-centred concepts of reforming and policy enactment. The paper historically analyses how inspection policy frameworks in Norway have evolved from control and support, via mere compliance control, to more recently include modes of evaluation and potential support. Finally, the paper suggests that, by focusing on the dynamic relations and processes of policy enactment, it is possible to fully capture the complexity of reforming state inspection of schools.

Processes of reforming: The case of the Norwegian state school inspection policy frameworks