One of the key goals of the Education Reform Project implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation is for improving data and statistics used by the educational system. The goal is to make the Russian educational statistics an accurate and reliable source of data for decision and policymakers as well as for civil society, the national economy and the state. For this purpose, the Education Reform Project included a component targeting the creation of mechanisms for the detection of information needs of the education authorities at the federal and regional levels as well as other users of statistical information.

The establishment of such a statistical system is only the beginning which is poised to become the ground for further activities aimed at improving data collection and analysis. The current publication presents innovative approaches to educational statistics. In addition, the book covers issues and challenges of setting up the system for detection of information needs of users of educational data and is also a useful tool for education authorities of various levels, statisticians, and researchers.

This publication gives an overview of the current state of the teaching profession in Russia. Specifically, the book provides an in-depth look into socio-demographic and professional characteristics of the teachers and school principals across the Russian Federation and their social and economic status. In addition, the work contains a discussion of issues and challenges facing people of this profession, such as work incentives, work satisfaction, work-life balance and teacher skills upgrade. One of the chapters touches on the topic of teachers' and principals' attitude towards the ongoing education reform as a whole and its distinct elements including the discussion of how deeply and actively school personnel is involved in the education reform.

The analysis presented in the book builds primarily on the large-scale federally-sponsored research conducted among the Russian teachers, school principals, local education authorities, and parental committees. It is intended for those conducting research in education, the education sector employees such as teachers, principals, and administrators, as well as politicians, journalists engaged in reporting on education.

Национальный доклад о состоянии и развитии системы образования в России, основанный на данных статистики, имеет своей задачей, по-возможности, восполнить пробелы в информационном обеспечении общественного диалога, дать количественные характеристики тех тенденций, структур и соотношений, ко-торые сложились к настоящему моменту в системе российского образования.

Основное внимание в докладе уделено сопоставительному анализу на межрегиональном и межстрановом уровнях. Межстрановые сопоставления позволяют оценить, в какой степени развитие российского образования лежит в русле мировых тенденций, соответствует складывающимся соотношениям и моделям.Сравнительный анализ региональных образовательных систем позволяет точнее охарактеризовать текущую ситуацию в российском образовании, выявить проблемы и складывающиеся тенденции.

В докладе на фоне социально-экономических и демографических характеристик рассматриваются следующие вопросы: участие в образовании, результаты обучения и функционирования системы образования, ресурсы системы образования, организация учебного процесса, преподаватели, финансирование образования, направления и задачи образовательной политики. В Приложении приведены аналитические показатели системы образования, которые рассматриваются в докладе.

The publication looks at ways and methods of improving the quality of specialists training in accordance with the strategy of modernization of the Russian education by 2010.

The book also touches on the main focal points of managing quality in higher education institutions by providing details on goals, methodology, and how to set up necessary mechanisms based on continuous self-assessment. One can also find analysis on national and international experience in the field for university sectors and professional staff who are engaged in the creation of modern systems designed for managing quality in universities.

Представлены рекомендации по организации мониторинга региональных систем начального профессионального образования (НПО) и использованию его результатов в практике управления образованием на федеральном и региональном уровнях. Описаны концептуальные основы мониторинга системы НПО, система мониторинговых показателей/индикаторов, организационные условия, обеспечивающие их эффективное использование, возможные управленческие решения органов управления образованием субъектов Российской Федерации по результатам мониторинга и информационные продукты мониторинга. Приводятся результаты апробации инструментария мониторинга региональных систем НПО в Республике Чувашии и Самарской области.

This report on network interaction analyzes modern trends in the development of Russian education, changes in its content, and methods of educational management. The publication describes various forms of network interaction between educational institutions, provides analysis of interaction experience garnered by organizations involved in education in Russian regions and offers recommendations regarding the use of existing legal base in optimizing education networks management.

The book also discusses developing regional and municipal restructuring programs, to organizing seminars with school principals and local education authorities on the subject of school governance modernization as well as for defining concrete goals for experimental work in schools.

It is the first complex Russian national study of accessibility to quality education. In addressing this issue, the book offers measurement techniques and analysis of this problem which faces the Russian education system. This study provides theoretical and methodological approaches to the complex conundrum and gives an outline of authentic methods used in researching this area. The authors pay a great deal of attention not only to the quality of the learning process but also to the quality of its outcomes, such as subsequent opportunities for successful professional careers.

In addition, the book analyzes various factors which determine the opportunities for receiving quality general education. Factors such as social and cultural family capital, geography, economic and motivation, the effect of general social environment, chances of different layers of the population, and individual life strategies are discussed. Recommendations for educators, policymakers and governance are also provided.

This comprehensive publication focuses primarily on step-by-step analysis of the results that Russian students displayed during their participation in the PISA 2000 (Program for International Student Assessment administered by OECD). The test results illustrate how well students can apply their skills and knowledge in real life situations and show how Russian students compare to their international peers from 31 countries. The authors perform psychological and pedagogical analysis of the PISA tasks, compare them to the content of Russian general school curricular and find out the reasons for poor performance of Russian students.

The book provides a new dimension to measuring the quality of Russian education, allows one to assess its adequacy to the needs of the modern society and helps to reconsider traditional approaches to the content of general education. The current report will be useful to all interested in understanding the peculiarities of modern approaches to assessing student achievements and grasping the multifaceted interpretation of program outcomes.

Представлены результаты сравнительного анализа успешности участия пятнадцатилетних российских школьников в международных исследованиях PISA-2000 и PISA-2003. Освещены концептуальные основы и технология международных исследований, раскрыты новые представления о качестве образования, динамика учебных результатов российских школьников. На основе анализа полученных данных предложены новые пути решения проблем развития отечественной школы. Содержит приложение на лазерном диске.

In this publication about the making of textbook publishing in the Russian Federation, the authors focus on the key component of the Education Innovation Project (reform of textbook publishing) which was financed by a World Bank loan. The concrete project outcomes included the setting up of bidding procedures for selecting designers and publishers of textbooks for students; deployment of the information system servicing the textbook publishing industry. Moreover, the project results involved training all relevant personnel in accordance with the best international practice. It is evident that the positive experience gained in this area needed to be studied further and mistakes made throughout the project cycle needed to be analyzed with a view to guard against them in the future. Toward this end, the project team has come up with the brilliant idea to put together all information related to implementation of the textbook publishing component of the Education Innovation Project in order to summarize the available experience and pitfalls, to provide an in-depth analysis of the work done over the course of 1997-2004 and to offer recommendations to all parties concerned including the Ministry of Education and Science.

The book is organized as follows: the first part looks at the past of textbook publishing in Russia. The second section digs deep into organizational arrangements of the bidding procedures launched by the National Training Foundation, charged with implementing large-scale projects in the field of education. The third part offers a closer look at issues related to design and deployment of the information system for textbook publishing. The fourth part provides details regarding measures taken for personnel training. And finally, the fifth section comes up with conclusions and recommendations.