TY - JOUR

T1 - Global social issues in the curriculum

T2 - perspectives of school principals

AU - Simovska, Venka

AU - Kremer Prøsch, Åsa

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - In this article, we discuss principals’ perspectives on the priority givento the place in the curriculum of and the supporting practices relatedto health and sustainability education in schools in Denmark (forpupils aged 6–16). The study is situated within the discourses aboutcritical health and sustainability education and treats the two issuesas societal challenges that are important to address in schools aseducational examples. We draw on the literature on school leadershipchallenges linked to global neoliberal trends in educational reform.The context of the study is the on-going school reform in Denmark.The data were generated through an online survey of principals inDenmark (n = 118). The findings show that although the principalsview school as an important arena for health and sustainabilityeducation, their actual support for such education lags behind. Healtheducation is prioritized somewhat more than sustainability education;however, both are characterized by insufficient attention to teachers’professional development and the low prioritization of collaborationwithin the school and between the school and community actors.Acknowledging the contradicting demands that principals face inthe context of the reform, we argue for reconnecting the concept ofleadership with the wider purposes of schooling and for providingspace for an emergent, whole-school curriculum that addresses healthand sustainability.

AB - In this article, we discuss principals’ perspectives on the priority givento the place in the curriculum of and the supporting practices relatedto health and sustainability education in schools in Denmark (forpupils aged 6–16). The study is situated within the discourses aboutcritical health and sustainability education and treats the two issuesas societal challenges that are important to address in schools aseducational examples. We draw on the literature on school leadershipchallenges linked to global neoliberal trends in educational reform.The context of the study is the on-going school reform in Denmark.The data were generated through an online survey of principals inDenmark (n = 118). The findings show that although the principalsview school as an important arena for health and sustainabilityeducation, their actual support for such education lags behind. Healtheducation is prioritized somewhat more than sustainability education;however, both are characterized by insufficient attention to teachers’professional development and the low prioritization of collaborationwithin the school and between the school and community actors.Acknowledging the contradicting demands that principals face inthe context of the reform, we argue for reconnecting the concept ofleadership with the wider purposes of schooling and for providingspace for an emergent, whole-school curriculum that addresses healthand sustainability.

KW - Schools

KW - Curriculum

KW - Health

KW - Sustainability

KW - Principals

KW - Grundskole

KW - Internationalisering/globalisering

KW - Ledelse

KW - Grundskole

KW - Internationalisering/globalisering

KW - Ledelse

U2 - 10.1080/00220272.2015.1114150

DO - 10.1080/00220272.2015.1114150

M3 - Journal article

VL - 48

SP - 630

EP - 649

JO - Journal of Curriculum Studies

JF - Journal of Curriculum Studies

SN - 0022-0272

IS - 5

ER -