European, national or global? Elite schools in postcommunist Poland

Abstract

Competing socio-historical forces are now impacting on school education in Poland in ways that were not possible under the communist system, but have emerged since 1989 under the influence of different elite groups. The result is the emergence of different types of schooling for different groups of elites and of categories of elite schools representing varying degrees of convergence of European and national identity. This article focuses on these changes to the education system between 1989 and 2018, highlighting the influences of socio-political factors that facilitated the emergence of elite schools with diverse missions and outlooks.