Reform, economic development, and social justice in Polish education 1989-2013: Connection and disconnection

This paper compares Polish and U.S. education systems and economic reform in Poland from 1989 to present. Analyses reveal a few similarities between the two countries in their perceptions of the financial and social value of education. Although Poland's model is based on the U.S philosophy of education, the paper will demonstrate how these educational systems are radically different in important ways. First, since 1989 Poland has built up a nearly 100% rate of literacy among young adults as a consequence of nearly universal graduation from secondary schools. Both of these rates are substantially higher than in the U.S. Second, Polish public universities maintained autonomy and are fully financed, never adopting corporate models like many in the United States. Third, Polish students can acquire free secondary education that leads into further free university or vocational center. By contrast, in the US, governmental support for public education has been steadily declining