Sweden has recently seen three major political attempts to empower parents through national regulations--the transferal of authority from the state to district school boards, the heavy promotion of independent schools, and the introduction of local school boards at municipality schools. This article provides an overview of these developments by using existing research and survey data to exemplify how empowerment has been enacted. Results suggest that (1) superintendents and chairpersons of district boards view parent influence to be moderate, (2) there has been rapid but uneven growth of independent schools, and (3) local school boards have seen limited use. (Contains 2 figures, 2 tables and 1 note.)