"The partitions and education. The beginnings of education establishments on the 
Polish territory in the context of today’s differentiation of academic achievement" Cover Image

Zabory a edukacja. Początki szkolnictwa na terytorium Polski w kontekście współczesnego zróżnicowania osiągnięć szkolnych
"The partitions and education. The beginnings of education establishments on the Polish territory in the context of today’s differentiation of academic achievement"

Author(s): Mikołaj Herbst, Anna Kaliszewska
Subject(s): Cultural history, Social history, History of Education
Published by: EUROREG - Uniwersytet Warszawski, Regional Studies Association - Sekcja Polska
Keywords: educational achievement; regional differences; historical partitions; social norms

Summary/Abstract: Many authors claim that regional differences in average student achievements in Poland are partly determined by the cultural factors and cannot be fully explained by uneven spending on education or by reproduction of human capital between generations. The aim of this article is to better understand this phenomenon by studying the institutional aspects of Poland’s education system during its formation back in the 19th century, when Poland remained partitioned between the three empires: Prussian, Russian, and Austrian. It turns out that one fundamental difference between the early education system under the Austrian, Russian, and Prussian rule may concern the degree of social acceptance of the school, teacher status, and the role of education as a lever of social advancement. Another important factor is the perception of educational goals either in terms of acquisition of practical skills, or of personal formation. In this respect, there was a clear difference between Galicia (Austrian partition), where the curriculum was focused on the humanities, and other partitions (particularly Prussia), where schools were more linked to the economy.

  • Issue Year: 18/2017
  • Issue No: 68
  • Page Range: 5-29
  • Page Count: 25
  • Language: English, Polish