John Benedicto Kreisler and Palle Rasmussen

Transatlantic Crossings? Aspects of transnational European and federal US turns in school policy with Denmark and Texas as examples

John Benedicto Kreisler and Palle Rasmussen

Research topic/Aim

In matters of education and schooling the USA has significant influence on Europe, perhaps especially the countries of Northern Europe. Much of this influence is due to the leading role of the US in international organisations like the OECD, whose policies have significant impact on European countries as well as in the rest of the world. But much influence also comes from the status of the US as a key actor in the world economy and a leader in science and technology and culture, which inspires other governments to try out policies and practices developed in the US context.Research (including educational research) is increasingly dependent upon rankings that privilege American (and other Anglo-Saxon) universities and publishing strategies, criteria and journals. An example is the focus on evidence-based educational policy connected with high-stakes accountability in the ‘No Child Left Behind’ initiative, which contributed to its eager adoption in Europe. However, European policy-makers adopting American practices – but also educational researchers giving critical assessments of this - seldom discuss how these practices are embedded in US school systems. In this paper we will try a different approach. We will look at school and education policy in specific settings in the US and in Europe, try to identify similarities and differences and also to identify elements that reflect or link to transnational developments.

Theoretical Framework

There are basic differences in the political and administrative regulation of education and schooling in the US and in Europe. The US is a nation consisting of a federation of states, and much responsibility for education is located at the state level. Europe consists of a large number of big and small nations, most of them organised together in the European Union. The EU is not a government, but an inter-governmental set of institutions, strong in economic matters but relatively weak in matters of education. This makes the relation between central and local levels of education policy difficult to compare. But in both contexts regulation, policy-making and implementation in education are characterised by shifting connections and balances between the levels. In the paper we will focus on primary and secondary school policy (K12) and take the US state of Texas and the EU country Denmark as cases. Across the two cases we will discuss the role and impact of evidence-based policy and practice and its coupling to accountability measures. The theoretical framework will draw mainly on critical education policy research.

Methodology/research design

The approach in the paper will be explorative. We will not present a finished analysis of the two contexts and cases but rather try to indicate how such analysis could be done. Empirically we will draw on official information and existing research.

Expected conclusions/Findings

Our hypothesis is that the federal turn in US K-12 policy has affected in many aspects the transnational turn in European national school policy.

Relevance for Nordic Educational Research

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