This paper engages with and reflects on the arguments developed by contributors to the special issue. These papers serve to provide a corrective to English and, on occasion, European perceptions, which often view the Nordic countries as being all of a piece and beacons of progressivism. The contributors provide analyses that not only point to the…

By studying population-wide panels of 10th graders in Norway, I investigate the association between the social class composition of cohorts in schools and choosing an academic as opposed to a vocational track at upper-secondary level. Two steps are used to study this relationship. First, I use multilevel models estimating the group level model…

The five articles in this special issue present studies focusing on two key aspects of vocational education and transitions in the Nordic countries in relation to social justice: (a) impacts of policies and reforms on transitions and (b) content, practices, curriculum and equality. Collectively, the articles outline important similarities and…

The status and quality of vocational education and training (VET) represent a challenge in many countries, including Norway. In recent decades the political goal in Norway has been to ensure that vocational programmes at upper secondary level achieve equal status with academic programmes. Considerable efforts have been made to strengthen the…

High school vocational education has a controversial history in the United States, largely due to a perceived tradeoff between teaching readily deployable occupational skills versus shunting mostly disadvantaged students away from the educational and career flexibility afforded by general academic courses. We study the effects of a nationwide high…

This article calls attention to the difficulty of institutionalising vocational education and training (VET) in the service sector in Norway, despite the growing importance of this sector for national economic performance. Drawing on interviews with apprentices, employers, stakeholders, representatives of trade unions and employer organisations,…

High dropout rates from upper secondary school are related to substantial societal costs, and are hence a major policy concern. The Norwegian folk high schools provide a non-academic education in an intimate and nurturing environment where interpersonal and social skills are emphasised, and where individuals grow in sense of self-esteem and sense…

Most upper-secondary schools in Norway are so-called combined schools, where vocational and general departments exist side by side. This paper investigates whether school characteristics affect academic students' performance. Academic performance is shown to deteriorate when the number of departments increases. There is an optimal department size,…

Examines the long-term consequences for employment, income, occupational integration, and organizational participation among Norwegian graduates of vocational and academic secondary programs. Uses data from 1973 and 1982 surveys to compare the effects of education before and after national reforms in the early 1970s. Contains 26 references. (SV)

In an attempt to bridge the gap between general and vocational education, the Postgraduate School of Education at Agder College in Norway launched a trial teacher education program in 1996 that called for prospective vocational and academic/general teachers to attend the same course. The course, which was designed to encourage students to accept a…

This document contains 39 papers and 13 poster presentations from a conference on technological education and national development. The following are among the papers included: "The Future of Technological Education and Vocational Education: UNESCO's (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization's) Perspective" (Adnan…