Relations between science and society are vital for capturing preconditions and social significance of educational research. Historically, there has been a strong relationship in networks and cultural/social principles within national contexts and social science (e.g. Heilbron, 2015; Nye, 1999; Levine, 1995; Wagner et al. 1991). This condition has changed with the creation of new international agencies concerned with comparative strategies to standardize and measure various societal sectors, which is a development tended to function under the radar of science studies. To explore relations of science and society, our analyses focuses on the concept of dynamic tandem processes in science and society as dealing with production and use of knowledge (Nowotny et al. 2003). We note several strategies to utilize educational research for political and professional action that emerge in the changes in which international agencies function with national institutions and science. We also note support for different kinds of educational research in order to improve or reform education on national as well as international levels. In this paper we present an analysis based on three specific fields. We start with (a) current policy discourses in Sweden, based on a selection of policy documents 1948-2015 (e.g. Erikson & Jonsson, 1996; Husén, 1962) and analyses of the history of ILSA research (Pettersson, 2014; Lawn et al. 2008), dominated by statements on school performances and social segregation as measured by international assessments and translated by international experts into national contexts and problems (Lindblad, Pettersson & Popkewitz, 2015) Further, we carry out up-stream analyses on (b) policy articulations on the problematics of educational qualities and social segregation, and (c) developments of international large scale assessments, and (d) the exploration of the epistemic principles that intersect among policy, international assessments, and research. We identified a changing education agora (Nowotny et al. 2003) populated by agents with different relations to each other. During the studied period the articulations of educational problematics were redesigned - from political to economical legitimations. In parallel, the emphasis in rationalities (Weber, 1971) changed from value rationalities (e.g. in terms of democracy) to technical rationalities (efficiency, international competitiveness). In addition, there were replacements and additions of national and international agents at the education agora. Further, entrepreneurial agencies increased arguing in terms of technical rationalities. Stated otherwise, our analyses are significant for an improved understanding of education policy in a changing educational landscape more activated through greyzone activities (Lindblad, Pettersson & Popkewitz, 2015).

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