Educational systems, schools and school leaders are caught in the global crossfire between two sets of political expectations: students' academic outcomes must be at the top of league tables, and students must acquire excellent innovative and creative competencies. It is timely to reflect on the effect of this dilemma. We need to find out if basic skills and knowledge, needed for the tests, are taught and learned in the same ways as creativity competencies. This encompasses reflections on learning and teaching in our schools. But forming the context for this are the ways education is organized in schools, so there is a need to develop a comprehensive perspective on school development in contemporary societies. Empirical case study data from successful Danish schools is analysed in order to find out if there is any room for manoeuvre among managers and teachers, and thus for constructing school life in ways that support the students in acquiring both democratic and creative competencies "and" academic competencies.