Regional Model of Advanced-Level General Education Program Management

Abstract

A multi-aspect study was conducted to analyze the place and role of general education schools implementing advanced-level programs in the regional education system. The focus on this problem is dictated by the changes introduced by the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation”: the new revision excludes the type of schools, such as lyceums, gymnasiums and schools with advanced study of specific subjects, from the typology of educational institutions. The paper consists of two parts. The first part investigates the actual level of education services offered by advanced-level schools under conditions where this type of learning is not regulated by the normative standards. The second part describes development of a regional model to control advanced-level general education programs designed to motivate students to learn professions that are essential for the region. We analyzed charters, development programs, public reports, curricula and learning programs of advanced-level  educational institutions. Principals of advanced-level schools were interviewed on activities of educational institutions. It appears that when no federal or regional normative standards regulate activities of educational institutions qualifying for the ‘advanced level,’ principals use their own ideas to set goals, to create an above-limit offer of learning programs and curricula, to develop motives for the advanced-level status of educational institutions and criteria of learning program performance assessment. The paper describes the principles for organization of the regional model to implement  dvanced-level general education programs, as well as the general plan for allocation and implementation of advanced-level general education programs, and the system to control formulation and fulfillment of the State objective of advanced-level general education programs implementation.