Soviet, post-Soviet and neo-liberal: Governing Russian schools through quality assurance and evaluation

Abstract

This paper problematizes the dichotomy between neo-liberalism and socialism and the tendency to view the post-socialist condition as a process of convergence with 'Western' and 'global'. It does so by analysing the development and implementation of a quality assurance and evaluation (QAE) policy in school education in the context of the Russian Federation. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russian national QAE policy has changed greatly and currently resembles the agendas of transnational organizations in education. At the same time, the national policy and the political discourse on quality continue to draw on Soviet as well as post-Soviet legacies. Juxtaposing the case of Russian QAE policy with theoretical models of post-bureaucratic governance in education, the paper also questions clear-cut distinctions between 'old' and 'new' governance regimes. The analysis in the paper is guided by two questions: 1) What has changed and what has remained unchanged in Russian education policy with the transition from the Soviet period to current state? and 2) How do different legacies and influences contribute to the QAE policy implemented at the local level? The brief inquiry into the history of Russian QAE policy focuses on three periods: post-war Soviet Russia, the transition period of the 1980-1990s and modern Russia. Recognizing the specific characteristics of each of the reviewed periods, the paper highlights complexities, contradictions and continuities within and between previous and present regimes of education governance in Russia. The analysis of the QAE policy implemented at the local level demonstrates the blending of diverse legacies, and the prevalence of Soviet-era practices in school governance.

Managing Opioid Agonist Therapy in the Post-Soviet Limbo

“…This combined contrasting efforts: the pressure to preserve previous arrangements and pushes for OAT scale-up and better coverage. Similar contrasting movements and fluctuations, however, can be found in other spheres, as well as in other post-Soviet states (Ghedrovici & Ostapenko, 2013; Gurova, 2018; Kalgin, 2014; Koch, 2013; Yankovskyy, 2016).…”

Numbers and their contexts: how quantified actors narrate numbers and decontextualization

“…Generally, in the last 15-20 years, Russia has moved decisively towards education standards and data-based modes of more centralized school governance, including the introduction of standardized assessments. The collection of administrative data has also expanded (Gurova, 2018;. The requirement to develop and implement measures of accountability, including new assessments, and to mediate assessment activities between the federal, national and the subnational, has led to the establishment of Rosobrnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science) including several affiliated institutions (i.e.…”

“…The new measurements, comparisons, public league tables and incentives tied to high performance as manifestations of state-initiated accountability have all added to rather than replaced the traditional Soviet and early post-Soviet instruments, such as reporting or inspections (Gurova, 2018;Gurova, Candido & Zhou, 2018). In the case region of our study, 80 numerical performance indicators were introduced to report on the quality of education combining measurements introduced and mandated by the Federal Ministry of Education with those stipulated by other authoritative agencies and stakeholders across levels of governance.…”

“…Additional evaluation activities are connected to preparing students for national examinations and schools organize mock exams for compulsory achievement testing. The results of these are discussed in staff meetings and serve as a basis for modifying pedagogy Gurova, 2018). Thus, in schools and in sub-national administration alike, the data are primarily discussed and dealt with in terms of managing the reporting and analyzing the data to improve immediate test results.…”

Values, Imaginaries and Policy-Making for Teacher Education: insights from researching the Russian Federation context of reform, 2000-17

“…in Russia, over the last two decades the educational system has seen deep and fundamental change, characterised by a shift towards globalised, neoliberal values (Silova & Steiner-Khamsi, 2008;Gurova, 2017). This shift reflects increasing priority being given to market-based relationships, the rational choice-making individual, cuts in public funding, performance-based accountability, and the above-mentioned emphasis on higher education's role in the economy (Smolentseva, 2017).…”