The article presents the results of an analytical study that explores the development patterns of universities that participate in the Russian Academic Excellence Initiative (the 5-100 Project) in terms of their financing structure, their priority development areas, and the trends for key performance indicators. By using statistical methods,…

We consider issues surrounding the introduction of the federal educational standards in preschool education (FGOS DO) by analyzing data from a survey of directors and teachers at public and private kindergartens. The results show that teachers are well informed about the content of the new standards. They actively participate in professional…

Preschool education became a part of general K-11 education only very recently. This change has been documented, and it is reflected in the organization and funding of the preschool departments of schools. The welfare of preschool departments within community K-11 organizations depends on the number of parents that they are able to attract.…

We attempt to prove the hypothesis that, under certain conditions, a phenomenon of propitious selection may arise on the higher education market: When talented university entrants favor applying to branded universities, the latter are able to automatically build up a positive reputation without having to actually improve the quality of their…

The authors analyze the problems of the Russian education system and discuss their origins and causes, as well as their detrimental impact on all spheres of public life. After looking at some solutions and controversial reform measures, they describe the Russian and foreign experiences of implementing reforms in education. They weigh the pros and…

We discuss the results of a study of Russian educational policy from the late 1980s to the early 2000s in connection with the emerging trends of educational inequality in the field of K-12 education. A statistical analysis of data on educational organizations, content analysis of documents, and a review of legislation and materials collected…

In this article we investigate the problem of the balance of fundamental and applied training in technical colleges through the lens of a historical analysis of the development of the Soviet school of engineering. We demonstrate that the Soviet school of engineering became overreliant on fundamental education due to historical features of its…

The article describes an approach to assessment of the performance of educational institutions with regard to their social context. To develop this approach, the authors were guided by (1) the results of numerous studies corroborating correlations between student performance and contextual factors (both in Russia and abroad); (2) the experience of…

This article examines key lessons learned by Russia while developing national assessment system in education. It shows that reforms are more likely to succeed backed with sustained political support, clearly defined goals or priorities, gradual introduction, and open discussion with stakeholders. [This article was translated by Lucy Gunderson.]

The project of modernization of regional education systems is now in its second year, but by no means all schools in Russia currently meet modern requirements. The division between strong and weak schools is still preserved. Quality control is frequently regarded as a formality and the effectiveness of how a specific educational institution is run…

The article analyzes the possible causes of the degradation of certain public universities in Russia. On the basis of in-depth interviews with representatives of universities with deteriorating performance, certain external and internal causes of institutional degradation are identified.[This article was translated by Peter Golub.]

The article examines not-so-evident influences of postmodernism on modern Russian education, its values and norms. At school, children have to face inadequate competitions and carry out projects, which are irrelevant to their experience and even age. During holiday festivities, the rejection and oblivion of traditional culture and core human…

Russian regions have been ordered to raise teaching salaries to the average level for the region's economy in order to address the challenges of teaching shortages and aging personnel, as well as to improve the quality of general education. Based on the results of sociological research carried out in various regions, this article shows that, due…

The article analyzes the problem of education's transformation into a business, one that fundamentally changes the mission of higher educational institutions. It focuses attention on the fact that the instability of the activity and the uncertainty of the prospect of development of higher education in this country are reducing the quality of…

These days labor training of the rising generation has been made more difficult by the fact that a certain contingent of that generation lack a solid motivation to work. There is a shortage of systematic and intelligent promotion of skilled blue-collar professions. On the basis of an analysis of a sociological field survey the author looks at the…