Principals’ perspectives on managing systematic quality work in a decentralised and market-oriented adult education system

Purpose This study examines how systematic quality work is enacted in the discussions by Municipal Adult Education (MAE) school leaders during a series of educational network meetings. By exploring how MAE school leaders navigate competing demands, this research offers deeper insights into educational leadership within Sweden’s market-oriented, decentralised and fragmented MAE system. Design/methodology/approach Empirical data is based on observations of nine meetings of an adult education school leaders’ network organised by the Swedish National Agency for Education (SNAE) between 2022 and 2023. These sessions were attended by 12 school leaders from six municipalities and focused on systematic quality work and newly arrived students. Findings Using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2022), the findings reveal how local actors interpret and implement SQW policies in relation to challenges such as flexibility, student dropout rates and the evaluation and review of their organisations. The study also highlights the role of network meetings in fostering reflection, discussion and the exchange of strategies for enacting SQW policies in diverse educational contexts. The research also highlights the role of network meetings in fostering reflection, discussion and the exchange of strategies for enacting SQW policies in diverse contexts, addressing a gap in previous research on the contextualisation of policy enactment and the interactions of principals within network settings. Originality/value The article sheds light on how school leaders interpret and enact adult education policy. By so doing, it addresses the issue, identified in prior research, that policy implementations in MAE have often “failed” or fallen short of expectations (Mufic, 2023; Mufic and Fejes, 2022). For practitioners working in adult education, the findings offer a practical example of how challenges can be addressed collaboratively, and in this way generate useful insights for others struggling with MAE and its complexity (Andersson and Muhrman, 2024). For educational researchers, the article examines the role of networking within the field of adult education and policy enactment. It highlights how policies are not just interpreted but actively enacted in real-world situations and offers a new perspective on policy enactment theory.