Per Kornhall, Independent Education Expert
On these pages I present my work and my books.
Mainly in Swedish (for natural reasons). Most of my work is in Swedish,
but I also have some international assignments, and a few English publications.
I have a PhD in systematic botany and a Swedish teacher certificate. I have been Director of Education
at the National Agency for Education with a responsibility for national development projects in science and
technology. I also have worked as a School Strategist in a Swedish municipality responsible for the development
of schools. I am now an independent consult, author and lecturer in school development, professional development,
use of research evidence in education, and other issues related to education. I have since 2013 been a member
of the European commission’s network of independent experts in education currently organized by ECORYS.
For the latter, I have written reports on diverse topics e.g.; education for newly arrived, evaluations of the Swedish
National Reform Programs and the quality assessment system in the Swedish education system. I have a very broad
overview of the Swedish educational system, and I am a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Science’s working
group 'School in the Future', and was 2018-2019 member of the European Education and Training Expert Panel set up
by the European Commission.
Here is a piece on the Swedish for-profit private school reforms I wrote for Diane Ravitch's blog:
Per Kornhall: The Great Swedish Child Experiment: A Failure
Here is a short talk I gave at ResearchEd on how Sweden has deviated fro the Nordic model to
instead materialize Rose and Milton Friedmans dreams of an educational market: https://youtu.be/Jxi7fJIGRQw
Here you can find German Bender's and mine report on segregation in lowers secondary schools in
30 middle-sized municipalities in Sweden: http://nesetweb.eu/en/activities/other-deliverables/
I wrote a short piece for The School Education Gateway about Early School Leaving 2019:
https://www.schooleducationgateway.eu/en/pub/viewpoints/experts/going-the-extra-mile.htm
Below is a short list of publications with English explanations:
Kornhall, P. Skapelsekonspirationen. Leopard förlag. 2008. A critical review of creationism in Sweden.
Kornhall, P. Livets Ord, manipulation I Jesu namn. 2010. Leopard förlag. A review of a neopentecostal church in
Sweden, its history, teachings and impact on individual members lives.
Kornhall, P. Barnexperimentet, svensk skola I fritt fall. 2013, Leopard förlag. An overview and analysis of Swedish
school reforms from 1990 to now. The book tries to answer the question why Swedish school results have been
dwindling in international tests such as PISA and TIMSS and in what way different policy decisions have contributed to this.
Skolverket. Forskning för klassrummet - vetenskaplig grund och beprövad erfarenhet i praktiken. Skolverket. 2014.
Was together with a colleague the initiator of and coauthor to a book published by the Swedish National Agency for
Education on how evidence based school development could be implemented in Swedish schools.
Kornhall, P. Alla i mål – Skolutveckling på evidensbaserad grund. 2014. Natur & Kultur. This is a book about how to
apply research results to create evidence-based school development. The book is directed to teachers, principals
and education providers. The central message is the importance of a school system with a high level of equity.
Kornhall, P. Förstelärare. En handbok. 2015. Natur & Kultur. This is a handbook directed to the new head teacher
category created by one of Sweden’s recent school reforms.
Ryve, A.; Hemmi, K. & Kornhall, P. (2016) Skola på vetenskaplig grund. Stockholm: Natur & Kultur. A book that
draws on research in school development and a research project at Mälardalens University to try to explain important
structures in research based school development that have a positive effect.
Kornhall, P (2016) Korruption I Sverige. Stockholm: Leopard förlag. A book that investigate the effect on levels of
corruption in the wake of neoliberal reforms of the public sector in Sweden.
Evers, J.; Kneyber, R. & Kornhall, P. (eds.) (2017) Flip the System. Förändra skolan från grunden. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
An international Anthology on the teaching profession and the effect of New Public Management on its status and self-concept.
Kornhall, P (2016) Rektor – En handbok. Stockholm: Natur & Kultur. A book that supports school leaders in their role as
leader of teacher’s learning processes.
Kornhall, P (2018) Lärare – En handbok. Stockholm: Natur & Kultur. A book aimed at supporting the teaching profession.
Hartell, E., Hjelm, S. and Kornhall, P. (eds.)(2018) Nyckeltexter i utbildningsvetenskap. An anthology with important and
groundbreaking international research papers in educational science translated into Swedish.
Kornhall, P. & Bender G. (2018) Ett söndrat land (A torn country). A report on segregation caused by school choice in
30 middle-sized municipalities in Sweden. Stockholm: Arena Idé.
Kornhall, P. and Bender, G. (2019). 'School segregation in Sweden: evidence from the local level’, NESET Ad hoc report. http://nesetweb.eu/wp-content/uploads/NESET_AHQ1_2019.pdf
Blikstad-Balas, M., Nilsson, J-M., och Kornhall, P. (2021). Omstart för skolans digitalisering (Reebooting digitalization in schools). Stockholm: Natur & Kultur.
Berättarministeriet, and Kornhall, P. (2021 Berättarministeriet. 10 år i demokratins tjänst. A book about the non-profit initiative Berättarministeriet that works with imagination among students in socio-economically challenged areas to strengthen pupils’ language and ability to express themselves. Stockholm: Berättarministeriet.
Allelin, M., Karlsson, B., Kornhall, P., and Svensson, S. (Eds.)(2022). När skolan blev marknad. 30 år med friskolor. An anthology that covers why Sweden got the most neoliberal school system in the world and the consequences thereof. Stockholm: Natur & Kultur.
Kornhall, P., (2022). Naturligt ledarskap. Vad evolutionen kan lära oss om ledarskap. A book about school leadership from an evolutionary viewpoint. Stockholm: Gothia fortbildning.
Kornhall, P., (2022). Till skolans försvar. Varför tillät vi skolan att falla sönder? A book about Swedish school reforms and their outcomes. Stockholm: Natur & Kultur.
Kornhall, P., (in press). Professionsutveckling tillsammans – hur vi lärare lär av varandra. A book about continuous professional development and leadership. Stockholm: Natur & Kultur.
Photo (right upper corner): Staffan Claesson (www.staffanclaesson.se)