The recent demands for improvements have led to substantial policy changes and a hunt for the "right" method. In pursuit of higher achievement Assessment for Learning (AFL) has a major impact in the Swedish schools.

In an initial study of how AFL is understood by principals and teachers emerge two distinct patterns. One pattern shows a clear difference between the AFL 's basic assumptions and how teachers practice AFL. AFL is based on dialogue, feedback and change in teaching. In the study, we see an instrumental use of AFL rather than a changed in understanding of how learning can take place. 

Another pattern shows how principals and teachers' perceptions differ on what needs to be done in the schools on going improvement efforts. The principal’s talk about school improvement disappears in teachers' descriptions of what is being done. We see that principal’s focus on initiate improvements but do not follow the process. A long-term management strategy for how the work will gain a foothold in the schools is also missing.

The prominent pattern made ​​us interested in Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR). Schools need to ask their own questions, make their practise visible and use dialogical collaboration to improve long-term practice. Based on the study and CPAR we initiated two action research projects: How teachers construct their assessment practices and how principals understand and portray educational leadership in practice. We would like to discuss our choice of CPAR in the context of the initial study.