Decentralization policies concerning leadership of parents and students in school councils in Poland. From autocracy to democracy within the state monopoly

Abstract

ABSTRACT Reviewing existing literature and policy documents concerning leadership of parent and student in school councils after World War II, up to the present day, the goal of this paper is to examine how to have parent and student council policies developed in Poland, what solutions exist in the area of educational policy concerning student and parent councils, and how do these solutions support the leadership of parents and youth in schools. To address this aim, a review of the relevant legislation and research work published between 1952 and 2018 has been carried out. Although research into school councils is constantly growing, the policy of education concerning parent and student leadership in Polish context remain unexplored. The paper argues that central to the development of the policy about parent and student leadership in Poland is the evolution from an autocracy after World War II to a democracy within the state monopoly at the present time. The vertical decentralization of decision-making, for example, on financial matters, examinations, school work supervision, is accompanied at the same time by a policy of keeping parent and student leadership in school councils under the control of the Ministry of Education.