Teacher-pedagogue cooperation – a political construction and a management challenge

Abstract

The Danish school reform from 2013 has put cooperation between teachers and pedagogues firmly on the political agenda. However, observers have shown how cross- professional cooperation is a challenge. As a response, the political system stresses the importance of ‘more and improved’ school management, to overcome these cooperation challenges. This political demand for ‘more and improved’ school management has however several meanings which make it difficult to apply. From a discourse theoretical point of view, the purpose of ‘cooperation’ is constructed in two different ways. Through its representation of the professionals, the unions have created one discourse. This describes cooperation as an interaction form between two autonomous professional groups, each with their own justification. The other discourse is made by the political administrative system, and constructs cooperation as an element in developing a new common profession. Furthermore, it is not just the purpose of cooperating which can be interpreted in two ways but also the management approach. On the one hand, the school leaders must relate to the logic of the disciplinary society. This logic stresses that leaders must think themselves responsible for following the structure and directives from the political hierarchy. On the other hand they must also relate to the logic of the project society that seeks to exceed the disciplinary logic and, instead, create flexibility. Due to this ‘double duality’, school leaders are put in a difficult position when they are ascribed responsibility for delivering ‘more and improved’ management.