Innovation and Research in the Danish Public School

The Danish ‘folkeskole’ (primary and lower secondary education) has a long tradition of educational innovation projects, meant to support innovation and introduce and try out new pedagogical ideas. Such projects have often been carried out in preparation for smaller or larger reforms. Earlier, school innovation projects were approved and funded by local authorities; but from the middle of 20th century these activities became more formal and were administered by commissions of officials and professionals established by the Danish Ministry of Education. Projects were still closely linked to schools and teachers, while demands for systematic research and evaluation were limited. The situation has changed significantly during the last two decades, as innovation initiatives have become more centralized and concepts of evidence-based practice have strongly influenced public authorities and other stakeholders. These developments are ambiguous. On one hand they have increased the volume and the quality of documentation and educational research related to educational innovation; but on the other hand they have weakened the interaction between this research and teacher practice. Research results tend to be aimed at authorities and stakeholders, providing them basis for decision-making, rather than at schools and teachers. We outline the historical evolution of development and experiments in the Danish public school and discuss the current developments, drawing on an illustrative example of research linked to a school innovation project. We further discuss the possibilities of re-establishing constructive links between innovation projects, educational research and everyday practices in schooling and teaching.