PIRLS 2006 Encyclopedia

PolandKrzysztof KonarzewskiPolish Academy of SciencesLanguage and LiteracyPolish is the official language of Poland and belongs to the Western Slavic group of Indo-European languages. German, Ukrainian, Belarussian, and Kashubian are among thelanguages spoken by national and ethnic minorities in Poland.Polish also is the language of instruction in all schools. Children from national andethnic minorities (1.3% of primary-school students) are taught their mother tonguesand cultures. There also are bilingual secondary schools, attended by 1.5% of students, inwhich instruction is conducted in a foreign language in some subjects.Emphasis on LiteracySince the publication of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’sAdult Literacy Survey in 1995, 1 which showed that the Polish sample appeared at thebottom of the achievement distribution in understanding written texts, improving literacyhas become a focus in Poland. In response to the study’s results, a current initiative,organized by the Whole Poland Reads to Children foundation, centers on a nationalmass media campaign that encourages parents to read to their child for 20 minutesevery day.Overview of the Education SystemAfter 1989, the Polish education system, much like the entire country, has becomegradually decentralized. Between 1991 and 1999, the provision of education became aresponsibility of local governments, which receive subsidized funding from the state.In 1999, the production of school curricula and textbooks was decentralized as well.Since then, the government has limited itself to publishing the Basic Curriculum thatgenerally describes the teaching objectives and content of subjects included in primary,lower-, and upper-secondary school. However, the government can withdraw from useany published curriculum or textbook on the grounds that it does not conform to theBasic Curriculum.Structure of the Education SystemThe Polish education system consists of four levels: primary (6 years), lower secondary(3 years), upper secondary (3 or 4 years), and postsecondary (1–3 semesters). Primaryschool is divided into two 3-year periods: integrated teaching and teaching subjects.In the integrated teaching period, a single or main teacher teaches content undivided303