Russian Education Policy From the Late 1980s Through the Early 2000s

Abstract

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 during expert interviews all show that the public policy of universal equality of educational opportunities that was declared throughout the period under review in practice was not provided with any legal or organizational support. At the same time, the implemented components of the liberal and neoliberal approaches in educational administration led to the growth of educational inequality (by stratifying schools by their level of resource provision and the quality of educational outcomes). At the same time, the economic and social conditions in post-Soviet Russia had a significant impact on the nature and practical effect of these components of administrative policy. This process has revealed the specifics of the Russian experience of neoliberal reforms in K–12 education and their adverse impact on educational inequality.