On November 7th, visiting professor Alireza Behtoui from the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) delivered a lecture titled Once upon a time Swedish schools were the best in the world, but not anymore: Why not? Discussing the development and resolution of inequity in the Swedish system, Behtoui shared insights from his research at Berkeley with international relevance. The event, attended by approximately 20 people, was sponsored by the Institute of European Studies, the Nordic Center, the Scandinavian Department, and the School of Education at UC Berkeley. Mark Sandberg, Faculty Director of the Nordic Center and Professor of Norwegian, introduced Behtoui and provided background on the STINT program, founded in 1994 to foster academic exchange between Berkeley and Swedish universities, allowing scholars to collaborate and share research every fall.
Behtoui opened his talk with a historical overview of Swedish schools, once renowned for their education quality and commitment to reducing social inequality. However, he noted that this changed after the 1991 elections, which shifted power away from the long-dominant Social Democrats to right-wing parties. This political transition ushered in changes to Swedish ideology and economic policy, resulting in tax reforms, deregulation of the housing market, and general economic privatization.
According to Behtoui, these reforms had wide-reaching effects, including increased poverty rates in Sweden, disproportionately impacting marginalized groups and widening the socioeconomic gap. Behtoui claimed how new housing practices have led to greater residential segregation along class lines. He shared an example from his own neighborhood near the University of Stockholm, now unaffordable for residents unaffiliated with the university.
Behtoui then honed in on specific changes within Swedish schools. He pointed to a sharp decline in teachers' salaries and a move from national agreements to local negotiations for determining teachers’ benefits. The introduction of a new ranking system allowed some schools to thrive while others struggled, and a new voucher system enabled parents to select schools for their children based on performance.
Throughout his talk, Behtoui frequently compared Sweden’s approach to Finland’s, where teaching is a highly selective and well-compensated profession. He also discussed contrasting methods to address educational inequality in Sweden, distinguishing between “top down” and “bottom up” initiatives. “Top down” approaches, such as bussing and consolidating public schools within a municipality, aim to reduce inequality; however, in the United States (U.S.), these policies are controversial among certain demographics. “Bottom up” approaches, on the other hand, emphasize change at the personal and school-wide levels. These initiatives include fostering solidarity between staff and students (reflecting representative demographic), prioritizing social work in schools, and developing positive narratives for students to embrace.
Behtoui concluded by discussing a school he studied in the Bay Area, sharing the idea that everyone working or studying in a school should see themselves as co-owners. Finally, he emphasized that this exchange of ideas between Sweden and the U.S. offers valuable insights that can benefit both educational systems.